Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that still holds many uncertainties regarding the etiology. In order to provide the most effective assistance to children with ASD,...Show moreAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that still holds many uncertainties regarding the etiology. In order to provide the most effective assistance to children with ASD, understanding the cognitive foundation of this disorder is crucial. There are several theories on this subject, yet there is limited research delving deeper into the potential connections between these theories. This research focused on the Central Coherence Theory and the Executive Dysfunction Theory and investigated whether there is a relation between these factors in explaining ASD. For this purpose, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Task, Tower of Hanoi, Picture Span and Autism Spectrum Questionnaire were administered to 89 children aged between 8 and 11 from six different primary schools in the Netherlands. Correlation analyzes were conducted to examine whether performance on central coherence, planning, and working memory correlated with the level of ASD traits. Using the PROCESS Macro, a mediation analysis was conducted to investigate whether executive functions could mediate the relationship between central coherence and ASD characteristics. The results of this study indicated that neither central coherence nor planning nor working memory were associated with the number of ASD characteristics. Moreover, no mediating effect of planning or working memory could be found. The fact that the results were not in line with the expectations could possibly be related to the non-clinical sample used in the current study, among other things. Future research should continue to focus on further investigation into the relationship between central coherence and executive functions, carefully taking into account the heterogeneity of ASD.Show less
