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The interaction between cognitive cost of attention shifting by developmental group for imaginative writing (p < .01). Autism group (autism characteristics); Typical group (typical development profile)
Source publication
The current study investigated the extent cognitive and emotion regulation deficits (i.e., executive functions) associated with autism impact on the development of imagination in writing. Sixty-one children participated in the study (M age = 9 years 7 months, SD = 14 months, 18 female, 43 male), comprising a selected group with autism characteristi...
Citations
... These functions represent a subset of the so-called cool executive functions, which are manifested under relatively decontextualized and non-emotional conditions (Peterson & Welsh, 2014). In future studies, it would be relevant to include other cool executive functions, such as reasoning, attention, planning, and organizing (Miyake et al., 2000;Simões et al., 2003) as well as hot executive functions, such as insight, empathy, interpersonal skills, affective decision-making, and emotional regulation (Bourke et al., 2019;Poon, 2018). ...
... Hot executive functions represent self-management and goal-directed skills used in situations that generate emotion, motivation, and tension between gratification and long-term rewards (Bourke et al., 2019). In other words, hot executive functions account for the engagement in adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, which may be connected with mindfulness and school performance (Meuwissen & Zelazo, 2014;Poon, 2018). ...
Objectives
The present study examined the factorial structure and reliability of the Portuguese version of the Child and Adolescence Mindful Measure (CAMM) in a sample of pre-teens. We also studied its predictive validity by testing a mediation model assessing the indirect association between CAMM and school achievement via executive functions.
Methods
Our main and cross-validation samples were composed by 205 and 176 fourth graders, respectively. Participants completed the Portuguese CAMM and performed behavioral tasks, which provided indicators for the following executive functions: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Students’ school achievement was measured through their grades in the subjects of Portuguese and Mathematics. Using the R system for statistical computing, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling analyses.
Results
Results showed good reliability and a very good fit of a unidimensional model, despite the removal of two items. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a positive association between CAMM and school achievement, fully mediated by executive functions. This is in line with previous findings suggesting that students who are more open to and aware of the ongoing experience may display better executive functioning and, in turn, achieve better results in school.
Conclusions
Overall, our results provided further evidence supporting the validity of the 8-item CAMM to assess mindfulness in Portuguese pre-teens.
Purpose of Review
Modern communication requires written expression for work, academic, and personal purposes. Using meta-analysis, this study compares the written expression of individuals with autism with that of their non-diagnosed peers.
Recent Findings
In the last five years, there has been an increase in studies that examine holistic elements of written expression. The current study identified 25 studies and the results of these studies showed individuals with autism perform at a rate comparable to their peers in syntax and spelling yet perform significantly lower in scores related to overall quality, structure, and cohesiveness.
Summary
Individuals with autism display a wide range of written skills. This study indicates that in general, individuals with autism perform well in the mechanics of writing but may need additional support in the organization and structure of writing. Since researchers tend to study written expression within clinical contexts, further research is needed to determine how individuals with autism use written expression in real-life contexts.
Autism and writing are commonly discussed independently as complex, multifaceted entities. However, studies examining their intersections are limited and often oversimplify the nuances innate to both topics. This paper focuses on the complexities involved in studying autistic individuals’ foundational writing skills (i.e., transcription and text generation skills) by drawing on theories of writing and autism grounded in perspectives from the neurodiversity movement. We frame our discussion around the complex sociocultural and cognitive factors important to writing by drawing on the Writer(s)-within-Community model. Our discussion highlights findings and trends among observational and intervention research studies as well as offers suggestions for future research guided by the ongoing reconceptualization and understanding of autistic development. In doing so, we argue that future research must look beyond written products as the only measure of writing development and beyond a diagnosis of autism as the indicator of atypical written language development.
