A systematic review on the association between executive function and emotional regulation in autism, ADHD, and autism/ADHD

Executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) have been proposed as transdiagnostic factors that contribute to the socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties observed in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Investigating potential differences in the association between EF and ER in autism, ADHD and autism/ADHD co-occurrence could be an important avenue to inform possible differential diagnosis. In this study, we present a systematic review examining the associations between EF and ER in autism, ADHD, and autism/ADHD. PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Scopus datasets were searched for empirical articles, published between January 2013 and October 2024. Twenty-two articles were included. Of these, four analysed the relationship between EF and ER in autism, 16 in ADHD and two in autism/ADHD, demonstrating a clear focus on the study of these dimensions in ADHD over the past decade. Although age (i.e., children versus adults) and methodological (i.e., task-based versus report-based measures) differences may contribute to the variability of findings, the overall evidence suggests an association between EF difficulties and emotional dysregulation across conditions. Further research comparing autism, ADHD and autism/ADHD individuals is needed to draw clearer conclusions about how the association between EF and ER differs across these neurodevelopmental disorders, to inform more accurate diagnosis. • Examines the associations between executive functions and emotional regulation in autism, ADHD, and autism/ADHD co-occurrence. • Defines cognitive-emotional profiles in autism and ADHD and their co-occurrence. • Identifies executive functions and emotional regulation as transdiagnostic markers relevant to early neurodevelopmental screening. • Indicates emerging research directions with relevant implications for clinical practice.