Considering equifinality in treatment planning for social impairment: Divergent paths in neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with deficits in both social cognition and executive functioning (EF), which contribute to social impairment. Autistic youth are also frequently diagnosed with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder that, like ASD, includes impaired EF and social functioning. The comorbidity of ASD and ADHD may result in compounded social impairment, but prior research has not sufficiently evaluated the extent to which this comorbidity profile responds to evidence-based intervention targeting social deficits. It is conceivable that dually targeting EF and social cognition impairment will be more impactful than direct social skills training alone. The authors present an integrative model for intervention programming that examines pathways to social impairment in order to more effectively improve social skills and thereby impact both proximal (e.g., emotion expression, current peer relationships) and more distal outcomes (e.g., depression, self-esteem) in youth with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.