Executive Function, What's Your Function?

If you’ve ever looked at information about ADHD online, you’ve probably stumbled into the term “executive functioning.” This is a very broad term, meant to describe a variety of aspects of mental control and self-regulation that are needed to function effectively. Different researchers have provided differing (but typically overlapping) lists of these skills, often including the following:

• Inhibition:

o Putting on “the brakes”

o The opposite of impulsivity

o Taking time to respond rather than just react

o Can involve behaviors, verbal statements, and/or emotions

• Working memory:

o Briefly holding information in the mind to mentally manipulate it

o Tracking one’s thoughts and actions over the short term

o Trouble can looking like info “going in one ear and coming out the other”

• Task initiation & task persistence:

o Getting started on tasks & sticking with them

o Avoiding procrastination

o Not quitting tasks prematurely, due to frustration or boredom

• Focus & concentration:

o Narrowing one’s focus to the most important topic at a given time

o Maintaining focus & attention over time

o Avoiding distractibility

• Mental flexibility:

o Responding to situations & frustrations flexibly

o Avoiding overly rigid responses

• Planning:

o Setting a goal & developing a meaningful approach toward the outcome

o Following a well-reasoned and systematic approach to a task

• Organization:

o Maintaining organization of one’s belongings and living space

o Managing one’s time efficiently

o Having well organized thoughts

o Speaking in a well organized and on topic manner

Many of life’s tasks require utilization of most or all of these abilities. For example, finding a new job may require all of the following:

• Avoiding distractions (and possibly more desirable alternatives) in order to search for available positions

• Using appropriate attention to detail while completing job applications

• Tracking places to which one has applied, in order to apply to all desired positions, avoid duplicating applications, and submitting the correct materials

• Managing one’s schedule in order to track interviews and arrive on time

• Staying on topic during the interview to present well

This is truly just scratching the surface, but it can give an overview of the importance of executive functioning in daily life.

Although ADHD is not the only cause of difficulty with executive functioning, this area is often an aspect of ADHD evaluations due to the overlap in challenges. This evaluation may include portions of the interview, questionnaires, and formal measures. Many evaluations at Stratus Psychological Services include assessments of executive functioning. Recommendations may include some ways to build further skills in these areas, along with strategies and workarounds to help compensate for these challenges.