Inhibitory control assessed by neuropsychological tests in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the Western and Central European literature

Inhibitory control (IC) is a core executive function impaired in both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). No systematic review has yet synthesized IC profiles across both disorders using standardized neuropsychological tasks in Western and Central European pediatric populations. The objective of this study was to map IC deficits across four inhibitory domains in children and adolescents with ADHD and/or ASD. All cross-disorder observations reflect indirect comparisons from separate bodies of literature, as no included study directly compared both disorders within the same sample. PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched (2000–2025). Two independent reviewers screened 129 records following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Quality was appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. A narrative synthesis was conducted due to substantial heterogeneity across paradigms and populations. Ten studies met inclusion criteria (7 ADHD, 3 ASD; N ≥ 667). ADHD was linked to response disinhibition, elevated reaction time (RT) variability, and impaired post-error adaptation. ASD showed difficulties in prepotent response suppression and self-monitoring, with motor inhibition largely preserved. The separate ADHD and ASD literatures suggest potentially different inhibitory profiles based on indirect evidence. These findings support multi-domain IC assessment and provide an empirical baseline for future cross-cultural research in non-Western populations.