First Domestic Development of 'Executive Function Training Program' for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Lee Gwanju

Published 20 Jun.2023 08:36(KST)

Professor Yu Hee-jung's Research Team at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital

A training program to help adults with autism spectrum disorder adapt to society has been developed for the first time in Korea. It is expected to be utilized in medical settings and community centers.

On the 20th, Professor Yoo Hee-jung of the Department of Psychiatry at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and clinical psychology expert Kim Joo-hyun’s research team announced the development of a training program for adults with autism spectrum disorder and the verification of its effectiveness.

Professor Yu Hee-jung (left), Department of Psychiatry, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, and clinical psychology specialist Kim Joo-hyun.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests, as well as difficulties in social communication and interaction. Even when individuals with autism spectrum disorder do not have intellectual disabilities, many are known to have deficits in executive functioning. Executive functioning is an essential cognitive processing ability required to carry out various daily activities, such as planning, allocating time, and prioritizing tasks.

To enhance this, it is essential to apply and execute skills learned in daily life across various situations. However, most executive function training programs developed so far for individuals with autism have targeted school-age children, with very few studies focusing on adults.

The research team developed a group education program that trains executive functioning, providing adults with autism spectrum disorder opportunities to learn and apply various executive function strategies such as planning and time management, aiming to help them adapt to society as independent adults. They conducted a study to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.

The research team divided 30 adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities into a treatment group that underwent the program and a waitlist group that did not. After the program, they conducted tests and surveys measuring executive functioning and adaptive behavior for comparison. As a result, in the 'Executive Function Utilization' survey, which assesses how well executive functions are applied in daily life, there was a significant score difference between the treatment and waitlist groups, indicating that participants who took part in the program were better able to utilize executive function skills in everyday life.

Additionally, through pre-, mid-, post-, and follow-up evaluations, it was found that the degree of executive function deficits in real life gradually decreased during the program, and adaptive behaviors?including communication and self-management necessary for adjusting to living environments?also improved. Participants showed high satisfaction with the program content, rating it 4.5 out of 5, and evaluated the difficulty level of understanding and applying the program content as appropriate.

Applying this evidence-based training program, whose effectiveness has been verified through this study, is expected to help adults with autism spectrum disorder play independent roles as members of society. Clinical psychology expert Kim Joo-hyun stated, "This is the first evidence-based intervention program developed in Korea to improve real-life executive functioning and adaptive behavior in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities," adding, "It can be utilized in clinical settings and community centers to support social adaptation of adults with autism spectrum disorder." Professor Yoo Hee-jung said, "In the future, it can also be applied to programs for people with mental disabilities in rehabilitation stages, as well as adapted to develop programs for adolescents and children."