Executive Functions Explained
Have you ever seen the term ‘executive functions’ and wondered what on earth this meant? Perhaps your child’s school mentioned issues in this area, executive function skills training was recommended by a doctor, or you’ve seen ads for executive function coaches in your area.
Regardless of the context, you may have had a good sense of what executive functions are just by defining each word:
Executive (someone in charge of an organization) + Function (the way something works) = being in charge of how you work??
Precisely! Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes that control your behaviors to achieve a goal. Common executive functions include planning, organizing, self-regulation, initiating tasks, flexibility, and time management. Difficulties in one or many of these areas can impact functioning, spanning from minor inconveniences to huge disruptions in every day life which can have far reaching impacts on school or work performance, relationships, health and overall well-being.
Do executive functions only impact people with ADHD/inattention?
No! Although the three main symptoms of ADHD - inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity - are all examples of executive dysfunction, and these difficulties can often accompanied by other executive function difficulties, you do not need to have ADHD to experience executive dysfunction.
Assessing your executive function skills
Many people with executive dysfunction chalk up their issues to “being stupid”, “lazy”, or not paying close enough attention, which only adds low self-esteem and anxiety to the burden of living with executive dysfunction. It can be quite helpful to better understand how you function in these areas so you can better understand how your brain works and your strengths and weaknesses.
It is important to first consider whether your executive dysfunction is a primary or secondary issue. That is, whether it is an outcome of how your brain is wired (primary), or due to other factors, like anxiety or depression (secondary). For example, someone struggling to initiate a task due to low motivation caused by depression (secondary issue), may not benefit from using a timer to signify the start of a task. Their mood is the barrier to initiating the task rather than lacking the skill set. So we would first focus on improving their mood to see if this clears up the issue with starting tasks. If their mood is improved but they still struggle in this area, then it may be more of a primary issue than we thought, and the depression was exacerbating this underlying difficulty.
After improving other symptoms or ruling them out, the next step is to review a list of common executive functions and try your best to honestly reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. I recommend rating the difficulty level of each skill on a 10-point scale (1=SIMPLE - 10=VERY HARD) as you review them.
Executive Function List
Planning
Organization
Initiating a Task
Attention
Working Memory
Self-Control
Time management
Flexibility
Then, put the skills in rank order to help you prioritize which skills should be addressed and in what order, and take a good look at any skills you’ve ranked as a six or higher.
How to Improve Executive Function Skills
There are many tools and skills out there to support executive function weaknesses; however, the way each skill impacts a person and how skills are applied is different person to person. I can’t stress this enough. Because of this, it is critical to understand how each executive dysfunction impacts your day to day responsibilities to effectively target intervention.
For example, let’s take the general recommendation of “make a list” to support issues with planning. That sounds like a great idea, until someone who lacks skills in this area goes to make a list and comes across the following stream of overwhelming thoughts:
What should I make a list for? When should I make the list? What goes on the list? How often should I check the list? Should I make changes to it? What if I lose it? In fact, where is my notebook and pen I was going to use to make the list? Or should I make it on my phone? But what if I don’t have my phone with me? Ok, this is not going to work, I am not making a list. Why did I even try? I can’t do anything!
Although making a list is a great skill to have and can be extremely useful when implemented, people with EF issues can’t always access these skills when they are so broad. They need more direction and support with breaking down the skills into smaller more achievable steps. Consider the following:
Goal: Make a list of tasks to complete over the weekend
Decide when to complete list (e.g., Wednesday evening after dinner) and set an alarm reminder on your phone
Choose a method for recording the list (pen and notepad that is in the junk drawer - I know it’s there because I just checked)
When phone alarm goes off, gather supplies and sit in an area with little distractions
Write out tasks that must be done in black ink
Writer out tasks that would be nice to finish in red ink
Prioritize tasks using a number system
Consider the time commitment of each task
Re-write the list in rank order with time estimates next to each item
There are many more factors that could be included on the list, such as who is going to carry out each tasks, what are potential barriers to completing them, what items or tools might you need to complete the tasks, etc etc etc. However, this example highlights the benefits of breaking down a task into small measurable steps that can be followed to reduce the chances of overwhelm and giving up.
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Once you find 1-2 methods or processes that work for you, try to apply these methods to other skill areas that are difficult.