Explaining Executive Functioning

I recently asked ADHD twitter to respond with their three biggest problems, and executive functioning came out on top.  

Executive functioning is something that we hear a lot about in relation to Neurodiversity, but what does it actually mean? Definitions differ, depending on the source, but in general, it refers to a set of higher-order skills around attention, memory, self control, planning and problem solving.

ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and other Neurodiverse conditions can all result in executive functioning issues. Brain injuries, chronic illness and other conditions can affect it as well, so it’s not unique to the Neurodiverse community, but it tends to be something that we deal with disproportionately to the wider population. So what are executive functions?

Dr Russell Barkley identifies the following 7 areas of executive functioning.

Self directed attention. 
This is when you turn your attention onto yourself, including your thoughts, needs, and emotions.
It can also be identified as the ability to analyse and evaluate your mental and emotional state.

Inhibition.
Also known as self control or self restraint, it’s the ability to stop yourself, consciously or unconsciously,
from doing, saying or thinking something.

Verbal working memory.
This is your internal monologue - words and sounds that are actively held in your mind at that moment. 

Non-verbal working memory.
Also known as visual-spatial memory , this is holding images in your mind. Think about playing a card matching game and remembering which cards are in which spot.

Emotional self-regulation.
Being able to understand and alter your own emotional state, and the reactions based on it. Are you angry, or are you just hungry? Are you anxious or excited?

Self-motivation.
Being able to start and complete a task with no external motivation.

Planning and problem solving.
Manipulating information in order to solve a problem or complete a task.

Some sources also include things like stress tolerance, organisation as separate executive
functioning tasks. Others group working memory into one executive function. However you divide
them, they tend to add up to "adulting" and that's something that can cause us problems.

But what do executive functioning issues look like? Over the next few blog posts I'll be addressing
specific executive functioning issues. Stay tuned!

Am I angry right now or did I just forget to eat?

Keeping track of time and remembering appointments can be a big issue.