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Executive Function Disorder

Sgt Romeo

Does anybody else have this?

I have been looking at possible reasons as to why I struggle so much with day to day life, or get stressed very easily over such minor, insignificant things.

Found this table today that describes the most common issues, and found I struggle with at least 10 out of the 12 things:

Executive Function

Real World Example

Task Initiation

Displays procrastination – puts off minor household tasks such as changing lights or doing the dishes after dinner

Planning

Cannot explain priorities and goals – loses out on opportunities such as going to a favorite restaurant due to not making reservations or planning ahead

Organization

Is always looking for something – loses money, keys, wallet, or cell phone on a regular basis

Time Management

Works very slowly – underestimates how much time it will take to complete tasks such as going food shopping or making dinner

Flexibility

Experiences problems with changes in routine and schedule – becomes overly upset when a meeting or plans are changed

Metacognition

Cannot explain how she intends to approach or solve a problem – often feels that things that happen to her are outside of her control

Response Inhibition

Can be impulsive – drinks or gambles too much without considering the impact

Regulation of Affect

Gets angry or upset easily – goes into a rage or angry display in response to a perceived criticism

Social Awareness

Is unaware of other people’s feelings – unknowingly stands too close in conversations or otherwise makes them uncomfortable

Sustained Attention

Starts one thing after another without finishing them or reads a book without paying attention to the content and needs to reread it

Goal-Directed Persistence

Is bored by long-term tasks – starts cleaning the garage or basement and gives up after an hour

Working Memory

Is absent-minded – often forgets items she wants when food shopping

If you have EFD, or agree with a lot of the points above, please can you let me know what you use to cope with different day to day issues.

Thanks

Parents

  • Most of those are certainly familiar to me too.  I was only diagnosed recently; but with hindsight, I can see how they've directly or indirecectly led to all sorts of problems with everything from jobs to simply making sure I feed myself.

    I think recombinantsocks is correct that, formally, executive functioning impairments are classified as a category of traits rather than a disorder in their own right.  My understanding is that this is because those traits overlap a great deal with other diagnoses, such as autism and attention deficit impairments.

    For autistic people, the 'sustained attention' and 'goal directed' areas can be a little different than described above (though not always).  Rather than our attention wandering too easily, we often display long periods of perseveration - an extreme kind of 'one track mind'.  For example, once I have engaged in a task, I cannot stand to be interrupted until I have finished - my focus is so on that single task that other thoughts are excluded and I can even lose awareness of my surroundings and physical discomfort.

    I don't intend the previous comments to confirm or exclude any particular diagnosis, they're just examples of how diverse the traits can be within any of the 'spectrum' disorders like autism.

    I'm only just beginning to learn to deal with these problems myself, but I am having a little success since I learned I am autistic.  The best tip I can give you is simply to always make a permanent record of what you need to do - lists, post-it pads, dictaphone recording; whatever works for you.  I find that this helps with the procrastination and poor working memory/  Even without looking back at my notes, the act of writing it down separates the "deciding" stage from the "doing" stage of the task - which I think is sometimes the very hardest kind of 'multi-tasking'.

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  • Most of those are certainly familiar to me too.  I was only diagnosed recently; but with hindsight, I can see how they've directly or indirecectly led to all sorts of problems with everything from jobs to simply making sure I feed myself.

    I think recombinantsocks is correct that, formally, executive functioning impairments are classified as a category of traits rather than a disorder in their own right.  My understanding is that this is because those traits overlap a great deal with other diagnoses, such as autism and attention deficit impairments.

    For autistic people, the 'sustained attention' and 'goal directed' areas can be a little different than described above (though not always).  Rather than our attention wandering too easily, we often display long periods of perseveration - an extreme kind of 'one track mind'.  For example, once I have engaged in a task, I cannot stand to be interrupted until I have finished - my focus is so on that single task that other thoughts are excluded and I can even lose awareness of my surroundings and physical discomfort.

    I don't intend the previous comments to confirm or exclude any particular diagnosis, they're just examples of how diverse the traits can be within any of the 'spectrum' disorders like autism.

    I'm only just beginning to learn to deal with these problems myself, but I am having a little success since I learned I am autistic.  The best tip I can give you is simply to always make a permanent record of what you need to do - lists, post-it pads, dictaphone recording; whatever works for you.  I find that this helps with the procrastination and poor working memory/  Even without looking back at my notes, the act of writing it down separates the "deciding" stage from the "doing" stage of the task - which I think is sometimes the very hardest kind of 'multi-tasking'.

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