Investigating distinct and related contributions of Weak Central Coherence, Executive Dysfunction, and Systemizing theories to the cognitive profiles of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and typically developing children

• Cognitive theories of ASD have accounted for some distinct patterns of performance.
• Comparing theories in children with HFA and AS can identify cognitive differences.
• Results support Weak Central Coherence and Executive Dysfunction Theories in ASD.
• No support was found for Systemizing Theory in children with ASD.
• The study supports the need for multiple measures to assess cognitive theories.

Many attempts have been made to explain the cognitive profiles of children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study investigated three prominent theories of cognitive processing – Weak Central Coherence, Executive Dysfunction, and Systemizing – to determine how they could define the cognitive patterns of performance in children with ASD. Utilizing tasks that tapped into visuospatial and linguistic domains, and both parent-report and child performance, the present research found support for the Weak Central Coherence and Executive Dysfunction theories in accounting for distinct cognitive profiles in children with ASD. No differences were observed between children with ASD and TD children on Systemizing abilities or preferences. The results also indicate that cognitive profiles in ASD may manifest in different ways in children historically considered High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Additionally, the present research demonstrated the importance of using comprehensive measures to assess cognition and behavior in children with ASD. These results provide support for the consideration of individual differences in cognitive profiles of children with HFA and children with AS when developing educational and therapeutic programming.