Children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate executive dysfunctions. Children on the autism spectrum do not show significant difficulties in inhibition tasks or memory tasks. Significant differences are observed in terms of mental flexibility. Mental flexibility is considered critical for the development of Theory of  the Mind, which refers to the ability to understand how other people feel and think. Research shows that this ability does not develop typically in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and that this has a significant effect on their social functioning.

Rutter suggests that the autistic phenotype is genetic, but that environmental influences, psychological factors, and metacognition also play a role in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders. Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by qualitative impairments in social interactions, imaginative activity, and verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Such children demonstrate restricted interests and activities, while their behavior is characterized by stereotyped patterns and rituals.They tend to maintain sameness in their environment and daily routines. The full clinical picture of autism spectrum disorders becomes apparent during the first three years of life.

Although autism is considered to be a disorder resulting from biological factors, it continues to be diagnosed on the basis of behavioral patterns. The main diagnostic criteria can be summarized as qualitative impairments in social communication and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. These characteristics typically emerge before the age of three, although diagnosis is often made much later.

The idea that a disorder of social cognition lies at the core of autism is considered one of the most successful cognitive explanations to date. It is generally accepted that three areas of early social interaction are impaired in children with autism: affective connection with others, joint attention, and imitation.Hobson  suggests that children with autism lack interpersonal connectedness. Failure in affective connection is considered a fundamental factor and particularly important in explaining the social difficulties associated with autism.

Speech and language impairments are observed in most children with autism, with manifestations varying considerably. A common characteristic is that speech is not used as a means of communication and information exchange.Children with Asperger syndrome face daily difficulties in identifying social cues. They experience difficulties in processing large amounts of information. Deficits in executive functioning among these children show considerable variability, ranging from difficulties in perceiving the whole to an inability to concentrate and organize thoughts and behavior.

The most pronounced difficulties are associated with the inability to identify and process the emotions of others, which creates problems in interpersonal interactions. Research based on the Theory of the  Mind model is used to study and understand social perception, cognition, and behavior. This model was proposed to describe a particular ability of an individual to understand the mental states of others as distinct from their own .

Theory of the Mind is related to the ability to understand the full range of mental states—including beliefs, desires, intentions, imagination, emotions, and others—which underlie behavior and actions.

The characteristics of the autism spectrum are diverse and often puzzling. These include repetitive and obsessive behavior, which Kanner described as “insistence on sameness,” while others have described it as a restricted repertoire of behaviors, rigidity, and perseveration.

In recent years, there has been significant interest in executive functions in autism spectrum disorders. Children with autism, including those considered high-functioning, may demonstrate significant difficulties in analytical thinking, self-monitoring, and cognitive and behavioral flexibility.

A large proportion of autistic characteristics can be explained by the theory of executive dysfunction. This theory explains the relationship between impairments in the frontal lobe and neuropsychological deficits.

The main characteristics of the autism spectrum partially and comparatively overlap with the clinical picture of the so-called apathetic-abulic syndrome, including lack of initiative, disorientation, apathy, indifference, restricted emotional expression, and impaired communication.

Children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate difficulties in three main areas of executive functioning:

• Generating new ideas and responses. Children with autism spectrum disorders generate fewer novel words and ideas and provide more mediated or indirect responses.
• Planning. Children with autism demonstrate difficulties in tasks requiring planning skills, and these difficulties persist over time.
• Flexibility. Children with autism may demonstrate perseverative, stereotyped behavior and repetitive motor acts.

More recent research suggests that inhibition is not considered a core deficit in individuals with autism. However, significant differences have been observed in tasks requiring mentalization.

Perseveration is another aspect of executive functioning that is characteristic of autism. Several studies have shown that autistic children are more likely to demonstrate perseverative responses on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test compared with typically developing controls.