Investigation of the cognitive flexibility levels of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in terms of various variables

The main purpose of this study is to examine the cognitive flexibility characteristics of children and youth between the ages of 6-17 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in terms of various variables. The demographic variables considered within the scope of the research are the child's gender, autism level, age, parents' education level, family income level, and whether the child has an additional disability. In this study, in which the correlational survey model was used, the study group consisted of 303 children and youth diagnosed with ASD and receiving education services at all levels in Istanbul Province, as well as their parents. In the study, data were collected using the informed consent form and family information form prepared by the researcher, the Turkish Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) to determine the autism levels of children, and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale adapted by Strang et al. (2017) and adapted to Turkish culture in this study to determine cognitive flexibility levels. The research data were analyzed using SPSS, JASP, Lisrel 8.8 and Amos programs. According to the results of the study, cognitive flexibility levels of individuals with ASD showed a significant difference in the Routines and Rituals sub-dimension according to the gender variable. However, no difference was found in other sub-dimensions. It was concluded that ASD level had an effect on the scores of individuals with ASD on the Routines and Rituals, Special Interests and Creativity sub-dimension of the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, but no effect was found on the Transitions/Change sub-dimension. No correlation was found with the age variable, parental education and income level. According to the additional disability status, a significant difference was found in the Creativity and Special Interests sub-dimension, but no significant difference was found in the other sub-dimensions. In the light of the research findings, it is recommended to examine whether more variables predict the cognitive flexibility levels of individuals with ASD, and whether theory of mind skills, attention skills, and adaptive functioning skills predict cognitive flexibility.