Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · Published 2026-05-14 · DOI 10.1186/s13034-026-01092-7
Liwei Fan, Yanqing Guo, Miaomiao Cheung, Meiying Tian, Xintong Hu, Daokai Lv, Yi Ling, Yifang Wang, Hangqi Liu, Qinyi Liu, Gangqiang Han, Yirong Liu, Jie Liang, Yu Bai, Ximeng Huang, Peng Lin, Jialu Chen, Xue Li, Jing Liu
Abstract Background This two-arm, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of a 16-week Executive Function Training Course (EFTC) based on the principles of ABA for preschool children with ASD. Methods Seventy-two children aged 3–6 years were randomly allocated to the intervention group (EFTC + treatment as usual, TAU) or control group (TAU). Executive function (EF) served as the primary outcome, evaluated using both performance-based tasks and parent-report rating scales. Secondary outcomes included core autism symptoms, emotional-behavioral comorbidities, developmental progress, and parental stress. Results Linear mixed model analysis revealed significant group × time interactions for total EF [F (1, 67.94) = 9.712, p = 0.003], inhibition [F (1, 66.97) = 5.916, p = 0.018], and working memory [F (1, 67.15) = 6.173, p = 0.015] measured by the task-based EF assessment. No significant differences were observed in parent-reported EF or other secondary outcomes. Conclusions These findings provide empirical evidence for the effectiveness of EFTC on EF in preschool children with ASD. More studies are needed to explore the effects of EFTC in ecological contexts, as well as on broader symptomatology and development, and long-term effects on EF in preschool children with ASD. Trial registration: The trial is registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2400091585 (2024.10.30), https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=249048 .
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Fan, L., Guo, Y., Cheung, M., et al. (2026). Efficacy of executive function training in preschool children with ASD: a randomized controlled trial. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-026-01092-7