# Language and Executive Function in Females with ASD or FXS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $660,888

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Autistic females (iASD) and females with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are two clinical groups that are significantly
understudied in research. Despite the fact that, like their male peers, females experience pervasive, lifelong
difficulties with language, adaptive functioning, psychiatric comorbidities, and academic achievement, there
remains a dearth of research regarding phenotypic development in iASD females and females with FXS. FXS
is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and the most common single gene cause of ASD,
with 14-45% of females with FXS having a co-occurring ASD diagnosis. Research on males has identified key
areas of overlap and distinction between FXS and iASD, particularly in language and cognition. Thus, studies
comparing the phenotypes of FXS and iASD in females, focusing on areas of overlap and divergence, are
particularly important because they provide the foundation for clinical and educational planning and elucidating
the mechanisms producing the phenotypes of FXS and iASD. Executive functions are one aspect of cognition
that has received significant attention in FXS and iASD, since they are an important contributor to real-world
outcomes and particularly amenable to treatment. The hierarchical competing systems model of executive
functions describes the interrelationships between language and executive functions in neurotypical
development, but these relationships have yet to be explored in iASD females and females with FXS. Both
language and executive functions are known to have a significant and pervasive impact on critical
developmental outcomes including academic skills (i.e., literacy), adaptive behavior, and psychiatric
symptomatology. The impact of language and executive functions on these outcomes has not been explored in
iADS females and females with FXS. There is an urgent need to characterize the language and cognitive
phenotypes of school-age iASD females and females with FXS within a developmental framework to
understand the nature and course of development, and impact over time on important outcomes. Through
three specific aims, we will determine the extent, nature and syndrome specificity of impairments in language
and executive functions in iASD females and females with FXS, and test their causal relationships through
longitudinal associations. We will recruit 8-12 year-old females with FXS (n = 60) and iASD females (n = 60).
The proposed study will include standardized assessments, expressive language samples, experimental tasks,
and parent report measures taken at two time points. We will determine the impact of language and executive
functions on key developmental outcomes including literacy, adaptive functioning, and psychiatric
symptomatology. The data from this study will provide critical information for clinicians and educators working
with iASD females and females with FXS and will provide data necessary for the development of targeted
interventions for c...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10907650
- **Project number:** 5R01DC020439-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Audra Marie Sterling
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $660,888
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10907650

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10907650, Language and Executive Function in Females with ASD or FXS (5R01DC020439-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10907650. Licensed CC0.

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