Investigating Correlations Between Caregiver Burden and Executive Function of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often report lower quality of life and higher levels of caregiver-related burden than those with neurotypically developing children. Therefore, our study aims to determine whether there are any direct links between specific aspects of childrens’ cognitive functioning (including inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory) and specific divisions of their caregivers’ quality of life (such as life satisfaction, social aspects, etc.).

Children must be between the ages of 6 and 13 with a diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, or both. Primary caregivers of the child must also be willing to participate. Participants must reside in Nova Scotia, Canada.

During the in-person data collection session at Acadia University, children will complete three cognitive iPad tests from the NIH Toolbox, and caregivers will complete a series of self-report measures aimed at assessing their quality of life and their children’s overall functioning. This data will be analyzed to assess whether there are any clear links between different divisions of children’s cognition and various aspects of their caregivers’ quality of life.

We hope that, through our study’s results, we will be able to showcase valuable information which can be utilized to improve caregivers’ quality of life by creating a framework that would allow clinicians to incorporate the treatment of primary caregivers as an aspect of the treatment of their children’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). additionally, we hope that increasing available information on the impacts of caregiving for children with ASD and/or ADHD will help open the discussion within this community of caregivers to discuss both positive and negative aspects of their experiences. We hope that improving caregiver’s quality of life will, in turn, also positively impact their abilities to provide care.