Comparing Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and ADHD: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are associated with a range of neurocognitive impairments. Executive functioning deficits are a hallmark feature of both disorders. Method: The present meta-analysis was undertaken to disentangle the behavioral phenotype of FASD and ADHD by quantitatively differentiating executive functioning differences between these two groups. The current meta-analysis reviews 15 studies comparing children and adolescents with FASD and ADHD to typically developing (TD) samples, on a variety of executive function measures.

Results

Results indicate that when compared with TD samples, FASD and ADHD samples demonstrate significant executive function deficits (d = 0.82 and d = 0.55, respectively). In addition, FASD samples experience significantly greater deficits when compared with ADHD samples (d = 0.25). Results were moderated by IQ and socioeconomic status.

Conclusion

These findings further our understanding of the cognitive differences between FASD and ADHD samples and have the potential to influence future basic research, assessment, and intervention.