ABSTRACT

Driving is a neuropsychologically complex task; this can present challenges for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such asautism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Deficits in theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) are common features of ASD and ADHD, respectively, and may influence driving processes such as hazard perception. No studies have directly examined the neuropsychological contributions to hazard detection among drivers with ASD compared to ADHD.In the current study, 48 participants ages 16-30 years (13 ASD, 17 ADHD, 18 typically developing (TD)) completed a driving simulator task in which they encountered hazards in the driving environment. Hazards varied in whether they were social (contained a human component) or nonsocial (were physical objects) to examine the contribution of ToM and social processing to hazard response. Additionally, participants completed a neuropsychological battery targeting ToM and EF/attention skills (cognitive tasks and self-report measures).Within the ASD group, participants responded relatively slower to social compared to nonsocial hazards; no effect of hazard type was observed in the ADHD or TD groups. Additionally, measures of ToM and EF were correlated with driving performanceamong ASD participants; within the ADHD group, only self-reported behavior regulation was associated with driving performance. Broadly, this suggests that cognitive factors such as ToM and EF impact driving hazard performance in ASD and ADHD. The results of the study have implications for developing driving intervention programs for individuals with NDDs.

摘要

驾驶是一项神经心理学复杂的任务；这可能会给患有神经发育障碍 (NDD) 的个体带来挑战，例如自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 和注意力缺陷/多动障碍 (ADHD)。心理理论 (ToM) 和执行功能 (EF) 的缺陷分别是 ASD 和 ADHD 的共同特征，可能会影响驾驶过程，例如危险感知。与 ADHD 相比，没有研究直接检查 ASD 驾驶员对危险检测的神经心理学贡献。在当前研究中，48 名 16-30 岁的参与者（13 名 ASD、17 名 ADHD、18 名典型发育 (TD)）完成了驾驶模拟器任务他们在驾驶环境中遇到危险。危害在社会性（包含人类成分）或非社会性（是物理对象）方面各不相同，以检查 ToM 和社会处理对危害响应的贡献。此外，参与者完成了针对 ToM 和 EF/注意力技能（认知任务和自我报告措施）的神经心理学电池组。在 ASD 组中，与非社会危害相比，参与者对社会的反应相对较慢；在 ADHD 或 TD 组中没有观察到危害类型的影响。此外，ToM 和 EF 的测量值与 ASD 参与者的驾驶表现相关；在 ADHD 组中，只有自我报告的行为调节与驾驶表现相关。从广义上讲，这表明 ToM 和 EF 等认知因素会影响 ASD 和 ADHD 的驾驶危险表现。