How Executive Dysfunction Impacts Daily Life
How executive functions relate to ADHD, Autism, and other divergent brains.
If you’ve done any reading on neurodivergent brains, you’ve probably come across this term called executive function. When people refer to executive function, they are talking about how our brains work to perform certain tasks.
Humans have highly developed brains and our frontal lobes are responsible for overseeing a lot of higher-order thoughts and actions. Executive functions enable us to plan for the future, focus our attention, remember instructions or information, and regulate our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
Defining Executive Functions
There is no single, accepted definition of executive functions (EFs). However, most experts agree that EFs are complex, and they are needed to execute tasks in the service of accomplishing a goal.
For example, Barkley defines executive functioning as “a complex construct that encompasses a variety of cognitive abilities that allow for impulse control, strategic planning, cognitive flexibility, and goal-directed behaviour.”
That’s a fancy way of saying that some cool stuff happens in your brain that allows you to exert self-control, plan for your future…
