Welcome back, Muses. Today we're getting back to basics and looking at executive function. What it is, what happens when it becomes executive dysfunction (a bit of an excited “brace yourself” whee) and who executive dysfunction affects.

Watch the video below, or read on for the full transcript.

If you're neurospicy or a spoonie and are looking to master yourself and your time in a compassionate way, this is the place for you to be.

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Real quick before we get into it today, my research sources are listed in the description box below. (And at the end of this blog as well.)

So first, we're gonna start with just a couple of different broad definitions of what executive function is.

Here's the first one. Executive function are “those capacities for self control that allow us to sustain action and problem solving toward a goal”[3]. This definition comes to us courtesy of leading authority and ADHD researcher, Dr. Russell Barkley. He also specifies that executive function is about goal-directed problem solving and persistence and that executive function in ADHD specifically is up to 30% delayed.[2] (A softly sarcastic Yay.)

Another great definition of executive function comes from Jessica McCabe of the amazing YouTube channel “How to ADHD”. And her definition goes “executive function is a set of cognitive processes that help us self-regulate so we can effectively plan, prioritize, and sustain effort toward our (long term) goals”[2].

So basically executive function is what allows us to know how to go from point A, needing or wanting to do something, all the way to point B, having successfully completed that thing.

Whether the thing is small and immediate, like brushing your teeth, or large and long term, like saving for retirement, executive function can be the difference between “no big deal, I got this!” And “why can't you just live up to your potential?”

“ … You know, the sound that a fork makes in the garbage disposal? That's the sound that my brain makes all the time.” (Clip plays from “The Good Place” NBC)

Executive dysfunction is no joke. I, and many of my clients, deal with executive dysfunction.

So let's dive even deeper, shall we? Here are a couple other bits of trivia about executive function.

“Executive function is a cognitive ability that is impacted by the connections in the center and front of the brain and is separate from intellect”[1]. It's housed in the prefrontal cortex and is the last part of the brain to fully develop (and it usually takes until about age 25)[2].

Now let's get into the elements that make up executive function. Of my different sources, the one with the most extensive discussion of this was Theresa Ragan's book, so I'll be discussing her list.

But heads up. Just because it's a book about autism doesn't make the information any less relevant for those with other forms of neurodivergence.

All right.

Element number one

Time Management. Or an internal sense for the passing of time, i.e. how much time has or has not passed and how much time will or will not pass.

Element number two

Behavioral Initiation. Essentially this is your starting muscle. In my program, The Action Navigator, I talk about six different muscles that you can develop strength in in order to help yourself spend your precious time and energy the way you want to. And your starting muscle is a really important part of that.

In executive function, it's called behavioral initiation or task initiation, and other things that become associated with that are friction. Like reducing friction or creating strategic friction, which is something I talk about a lot. Adding fun, AKA dopamine, or rewards. Man, this tends to be the one that I would say most people have the most problems with, besides time blindness, which was the first one. So yeah. Onwards and upwards.

Element number three

Prioritization and Planning. Some quotes on this one, significant problems knowing where to start and what to do? (Whee.)

“Chidi - I am absolutely Paralyzed by decision making and it is destroying my life.

Simone - Yeah, I sort of got that when you couldn’t choose what chair to sit on.

Chidi - Well, I didn’t want to offend you in case you had a favorite.” (Clip plays from “The Good Place” NBC)

“Planning requires multiple skills, including the ability to break large tasks into smaller ones and to estimate how long a specific task will take and then to decide what is most and least important.” (Cassie cries and laughs in exasperation)

So we're gonna take a small break.

We've only gotten through three and I think there are 11 elements of executive function and therefore executive dysfunction.

And if you're already like, "Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! That's me! No wonder I can't adult."

(sigh) I see you. (laugh)

Please don't take this information as a thing to beat yourself up with. This is an opportunity to be seen, I see you, to feel validated, I'm here to validate you, and it's an opportunity to learn how to care for and accommodate yourself in the ways you need and deserve, so that way you can actually spend your precious time and energy the way you want and need to, because it's all about meeting your needs, accommodating yourself.

It's not about (and this is what I talked about in this video) striving to change yourself into a neurotypical or able bodied human being. That's not the goal, okay? All right. Commercial break over.

Onward to number four.

Number four

simply is organization.

AKA “systems to track information and materials”. That definition just feels like a slap in the face sometimes.

Number five

Response inhibition.

Which is kind of the opposite of task initiation, behavioral initiation. This is the stopping muscle. This is, can you think of a thing and not do it? Not say it? Can you stop the hyper focus? Can you delay your gratification?

That's what this element is. Next up, we got:

Number six

Working memory.

“Working memory is the ability to keep things in mind while completing an action. As such, it's actually a form of attention. We use working memory when we mentally track information as we complete a task that involves several steps. This may require using the knowledge we've gained from a previous task to accomplish a new task.”

So for those of you who are computer savvy, working memory is essentially the RAM, (the random access memory) of the human brain. If you have problems with object permanence, emotional permanence, brain fog, working memory is probably a huge problem for you. If you walk through a doorway and forget everything that you were doing, working memory is a problem for you.

(Brief Break while text scrolls at the bottom of the screen reading “The irony of my own working memory suddenly emptying out on me right here is not lost on me…”)

(sigh) If, like me, you're doing a thing, anything, and it suddenly feels like your brain fell outta your head and it's just static and it's loud and noisy, nothing's going on in your head, except for said static, that's a working memory problem.

Yep, “for those who have problems keeping things in mind while working, they may wish to have written or recorded cues to help them stay on track”.

Okay, but for real, that might seem like a flippant quote for me to quote, but that is so much of what I do, helping my students and my clients come up with systems and accommodations that meet their unique needs so that way they are prompted in the moments that they need prompting to ask the right questions, to do the right next step.

When you struggle with executive function, what the goal becomes is not to fix your executive dysfunction, 'cause we do not have the ability to change the brain in that way. There are those, for example, with ADHD who benefit from stimulant medications and that helps calm their brain enough that they're able to think straight, and that, as a side benefit, that helps with their executive function, but it doesn't, like a light switch, completely fix the whole executive function problem.

When you have problems with executive function, it's about creating systems and structure outside of your brain to provide that executive function for you.

That's what I do a lot as a coach is help create those systems and those structures for my students and my clients that are personalized to them, so that way, when they don't have immediate access to me, they can still function. Okay, yeah. Rant over. (laughs) Right.

Element number seven

Sustained attention.

AKA the ability to remain focused on a task at will. (sigh) One can dream.

Element number eight

Metacognition.

This one was really interesting for me to read about because in my years of learning about executive function, I hadn't necessarily come across this one explicitly before, and it's essentially the ability to appraise and coach yourself.

I was aware of it as a thing, but I had not categorized it underneath executive function before.

“An individual can ask a series of questions for self-assessment. These questions could include the following:

What is my goal?
What is my plan to accomplish that goal?
Am I following my plan?
How did the plan work?
Do I need to change a part of the plan to make it more doable?

Using this guidance, an individual whose goal is to pay bills on time could use cue cards with these questions written on them, one question per card, to guide her thought process and help her stay focused on attaining her goal.”

Like I was talking about earlier, that is externalizing executive function into a system or a structure, the note cards with prompts, so that way the brain isn't responsible for generating those.

Someone with functioning executive function does that intuitively, whereas someone with executive dysfunction needs external cues and systems and structure to provide that so that you don't have to invent that from scratch every time. That's all.

And there's nothing wrong with you for needing that support, needing those accommodations.

There's nothing wrong with you.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. (“I will come for them.” Followed by a quiet hiss as if from a kitten protecting her siblings.)

Element number nine

Goal directed persistence.

Which “refers to the ability to finish a task before moving on to another” (both short term and long term).

Number 10

Flexibility.

“Those with greater flexibility have a higher tolerance for change, for example, whereas those with less flexibility have a lower tolerance for change and are therefore often easily derailed by change. This can happen on both the big and the small scale.” (My words, by the way.)

Element number 11

Emotional self control.

This one bothered me to come across because it's problematic. So I'll start by sharing the quote from the source and then we'll talk about it.

“Emotional self-control refers to the ability to manage one's emotions. When an individual experiences emotion, his brain is in charge of interpreting and labeling the emotion. It is also in charge of regulating the intensity of the emotion, deciding how to handle the emotion, and communicating with others while experiencing the emotion. Individuals on the autism spectrum often have difficulties with emotional self control. These difficulties usually take one of three forms: shutting down, explosive behavior, or anxiety and rigidity.”[1]

I take that to mean this is an element of executive dysfunction specific to the autism spectrum. And as I am newer to learning about the autism spectrum, I know I'm by no means an expert, but from what I do know and as I'm learning more, in the larger context, that seems deeply problematic.

It is not an autistic person's responsibility to accommodate neurotypical people.

Autism is a disability and when an autistic individual is driven to a point of meltdown or shutdown, it is because their environment has been deeply overstimulating. And I can pretty much guarantee you that if the autistic person had been in control of the situation, it would not have been overstimulating.

If you are autistic and watching this, and I am wrong, please correct me in the comments.

Share your stories with me. I want to learn and to know better.

That's my understanding. So what I take “emotional self control” as an element of executive function to mean is that it's just a different form of response inhibition.

As in, can I have a moment of pause in between experiencing an emotion and acting? That's what I take that to mean. So if someone makes me angry, can I have a moment to actually pause and decide how I'm gonna react to that?

Depending on how severe the emotion is, every human being at some point will struggle to pause before reacting. You make any person besides a Buddhist monk angry enough. (laugh) And I realize that's an extreme example and there are probably other examples as well, but you're getting my point.

To single out those on the autism spectrum is not okay. That bothers me.

I understand that it makes sense that the ability to pause between experiencing a potentially volatile emotional reaction to something, the ability to pause after experiencing that in order to proactively decide how you're going to act in response to that, that ability to pause is an executive function that can be affected negatively if you have executive dysfunction.

That makes sense to me. But the way that was addressed in this context towards autistic individuals bothered me. And so, yeah. Okay, think I addressed that. Tell me your thoughts down below.

Phew, what a list!

Comment below and tell me which part of executive function you were most surprised to learn about.

So who struggles with executive dysfunction?

Before I answer that, I want to remind you that executive function is a cognitive ability that's separate from intellect. Therefore having executive dysfunction does not automatically mean that someone is intellectually deficient or disabled. Can executive dysfunction and intellectual disability co-occur? Yes, but that doesn't mean they always do. So those who can experience executive dysfunction include those who are neurodivergent, which is a really huge spectrum. It can include people with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities such as dyslexia, mental illness, trauma, brain injury. (Trauma is also a brain injury by the way). But also people with chronic illness, burnout, and even eating disorders, 'cause starving yourself, not good for your brain. But basically anything that can affect the prefrontal cortex can affect your executive function.

If you identified with anything I talked about in this video, it isn't necessarily indicative of why you struggle with those things. It simply means that you've got some research to do. It's an opportunity for you to do some digging and to see if there are things in the neurodivergent umbrella, in the chronic illness umbrella, the brain injury umbrella.

And if you're like me, you got a little bit of everything. Whee! And if so, hi. Nice to meet ya. I bet we'd be friends.

So there you have it. As promised, we looked at what executive function and dysfunction is and who executive dysfunction affects.

Earlier I mentioned that I and many of my clients struggle with executive dysfunction.

So who am I and what do I do? I'm a productivity expert and life coach for neurospicy spoonies. I teach them the skills and tools they need to finally spend their precious time and energy the way they want and need to. Since I'm a neurospicy spoonie too and my spoons are so limited, the main way I work with clients is through my signature course, The Action Navigator. It's packed to the brim with tools and techniques for mastering your time, getting organized, and offering yourself radical compassion as a neurospicy spoonie. If that sounds like exactly what you've been looking for, use the link of the description box below to learn more.

(Outro for YouTube Video) Check out this video next for the real reason why productivity tips aren't helping you. And if you like this video, hit that like button and subscribe and be sure to share it with your friends. I'll be back in two weeks with another video (and companion blog!). See you then. Bye!

Citations:

*[1] Regan, Theresa . Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults 2nd Edition: Updated in 2021 with New Insights for Improving Diagnosis and Quality of Life (The Understanding Autism Series) (Ch. 4). IndieGo Publishing LLC. Kindle Edition. https://amzn.to/3cTNHEC

[2] How To ADHD, “What is Executive Function and Why Do We Need it?” https://youtu.be/H4YIHrEu-TU

[3] Child Mind Institute, “ADHD and Executive Function - Dr. Russell Barkley” https://youtu.be/GR1IZJXc6d8

Learn more about the 🧭 Action Navigator 🧭 by scheduling a call with Cassie here: https://bit.ly/3zg6tyC

What is Executive Function? | Neurodivergent vs Neurotypical Brains