Executive function is a term you often hear in relation to ADHD, but what does it mean?
Executive function is defined in the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders as “…a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors.”
So that’s perfectly clear, right?
OK, so here’s what it means – executive function is a set of skills that we have that help us do other things. It is our ability to analyze a problem, find a solution, take action, assess the results, and then change actions if needed. Can you see how someone with ADHD could have trouble here?
Let me give you a few more examples. Dr Martin Kutscher makes an analogy to a snake. You step on it, it bites you. The snake does not think about a course of action, debate the usefulness of biting you, or review the past results of such an action. You step on him, he bites you.
Or think of a conductor, directing an orchestra. He has to pay attention to everyone at once and get them all to perform harmoniously and in sync with one another.
Thomas Brown, PhD, from Yale University, has identified a cluster of 6 cognitive functions involved in executive function. (Cognitive is a $10 word for thinking). Here they are:
Attention
Focus
Effort
Emotion
Memory
Action
A simple action can trigger this response, and for most people it is very rapid and automatic. They don’t even think about what they are doing.
With ADHD, one or more of these functions may be slow, operate ineffectively, or hardly at all. Again, do you see how poor executive function almost completely defines ADHD?
When you are working with someone who has ADHD, it is helpful to understand in what areas they have the most trouble. This will help not only with coming up with solutions, but in understanding why they do some of the things they do.
I know that this is a complex subject and it deserves more than just the few words here. I’ll try to add more as I learn about and understand executive function.
Interesting Article about ADHD