Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 11;70(3):549-557.
doi: 10.1080/20473869.2022.2095690. eCollection 2024.

Improving academic performance through a school-based intervention targeting academic executive functions - a pilot study

Leanne Tamm  1   2 , Sydney M Risley  3 , Elizabeth Hamik  1 , Angela Combs  4 , Lauren B Jones  3 , Jamie Patronick  4 , Tat Shing Yeung  1 , Allison K Zoromski  1   2 , Amie Duncan  1   2
Affiliations

Improving academic performance through a school-based intervention targeting academic executive functions - a pilot study

Leanne Tamm et al. Int J Dev Disabil. .

Abstract

Background: Academic challenges such as losing/not turning in assignments, misplacing materials, and inefficient studying are common in middle-school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability. Deficits in organization, planning, prioritizing, memory/materials management, and studying skills [i.e. academic executive functioning (EF) deficits] contribute to these challenges.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility, satisfaction, and initial efficacy of the school-based version of the Achieving Independence and Mastery in School (AIMS) intervention in a proof-of-concept trial with 6 students with ASD.

Methods: 6 middle-schoolers with ASD without ID participated in AIMS. Parents and teachers rated academic EFs and functioning.

Results: Results suggest high feasibility, youth satisfaction, and improved EF skills and academic behaviors by parent and teacher report.

Conclusion: These promising results support further intervention development and suggest that academic EF skills are malleable in students with ASD.

Keywords: academic performance; executive function training; homework; school-based intervention; study skills.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Evidence of initial efficacy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Abikoff, H. A. and Gallagher, R.. 2009. The children's organizational skills scales technical manual. North Tonawanda: Multihealth Systems, Inc.
    1. Abikoff, H. A., Gallagher, R., Wells, K. C., Murray, D. W., Huang, L., Lu, F. and Petkova, E.. 2013. Remediating organizational functioning in children with ADHD: immediate and long-term effects from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 113–128. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ameis, S. H., Haltigan, J. D., Lyon, R. E., Sawyer, A., Mirenda, P., Kerns, C. M., Smith, I. M., Vaillancourt, T., Volden, J., Waddell, C., Zwaigenbaum, L., Bennett, T., Duku, E., Elsabbagh, M., Georgiades, S., Ungar, W. J., Zaidman-Zait, A., Lai, M. C. and Szatmari, P. and Pathways in, A. S. D. S. T. 2022. Middle-childhood executive functioning mediates associations between early-childhood autism symptoms and adolescent mental health, academic and functional outcomes in autistic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 63, 553–562. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anesko, K. M., Schoiock, G., Ramirez, R. and Levine, F. M.. 1987. The homework problem checklist: assessing children’s homework problems. Behavioral Assessment, 9, 179–185.
    1. Baixauli, I., Rosello, B., Berenguer, C., Tellez de Meneses, M. and Miranda, A.. 2021. Reading and writing skills in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder without intellectual disability. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 646849. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources