Help Executive functioning & ND
What is executive functioning?
Executive functioning is the set of processing skills that help us to plan and organise what we do across every day. One task can involve many parts such as planning, starting a task, keeping focus, finishing, and transitioning to new tasks. This all comes from our executive function skills. Our executive functioning skills significantly impact our learning skills, how we interact with others and how we regulate and control our thoughts.
This simple video below explains what executive functioning is.
Executive functioning & ND
Executive functioning skills often develop differently in neurodivergent children and young people. This can lead to highly focused, rule based thinking patterns as well as very creative, different ways of thinking. Challenges can be experienced in day-to-day planning, organisation, and regulating emotions, particularly in a world typically created for neurotypical brains. If these challenges are significant and consistent, the individual may then experience dysregulation and distress. These challenges are sometimes described as ‘executive dysfunction’.
Executive function differences can impact on both tasks we NEED to do, and tasks we WANT to do, e.g., hobbies, areas of interests. This further supports that these differences are not a choice, and even when someone really wants to complete a task in a certain way, this can be incredibly challenging at times.
More detail on what executive function is and why we need it is explained in this video. This video talks specifically about ADHD, but these executive functioning differences are often seen across neurodivergent children and young people as a whole.
(This video contains helpful information about executive function. However, we do not endorse any commercial advertising included in this video)
How executive functioning might look in neurodivergent children/young people
Planning and carrying out all the individual steps needed to complete tasks and goals can be challenging.
Challenges with understanding of time and time concepts, e.g. today, tomorrow, next week, can also make time management and planning particularly tricky. This is sometimes referred to as “time blindness”.
Managing and organising your time, what things you need each day and what activities you’re doing each day, week or month can be challenging. Managing information and organising the information you’re given/learning can also be challenging.
Starting or initiating a task needs a lot of thinking and processing – what do you need, what do you do first and what do you do next? The high processing demand and overwhelm can make starting a task challenging due to the number of steps/components to complete it. Sequential thinking can be a challenge for this reason.
Challenges in understanding others’ perspectives and changing your own point of view can be challenging. Neurodivergent individuals may find it more comfortable to complete tasks in a certain order or in a certain way and changing this may be uncomfortable, challenging and exhausting.
Having to listen to and understand some information, while also doing something with it, e.g. writing something down or adding numbers up, requires a lot of thinking and focus! This ability to hold immediate information while doing something with it can be challenging and lead to forgetting what was said, forgetting where you were up to or what you were meant to do.
Regulating your emotions can take a lot of work, especially if they are felt very intensely and can go up and down quickly, which is often experienced by neurodivergent individuals.
Controlling your actions, impulses and thoughts can be particularly challenging for some neurodivergent individuals.
Neurodivergent individuals can show differences in how they perceive their environment and their place in it. This can lead to different perceptions of self-awareness and self-monitoring in attention, behaviour and emotional regulation levels. This can also lead to challenges keeping on task and staying focused.
Spoon Theory
No matter how many strategies there are to support you, some days are just tricker than others. Getting things done can be really challenging when your executive functioning works differently to typical expectations. And that is OK.
Some people describe executive functioning as a ‘pool of resources’ which will inevitably run out and need refilling. For neurodivergent individuals, this pool may need refilling more often, as these skills can require more work.
The Spoon Theory can help explain this; each individual only has so many ‘spoons’ (metaphorically speaking) that they can use, until they run out and need refiling. Everyone will have a different amount of spoons, based on their individual strengths and needs. This will also vary day to day, depending on different environmental and internal factors.
Once you have run out of spoons or resources, you need time and rest to gain more resources and spoons back again before you can do anything else. Tasks which involve lots of executive functioning can take up a lot of your spoons!
This video explains the cutlery metaphor of the Spoon Theory:
Some strategies and support systems can help you use less spoons at times. However, these may not always be enough and it is important to be aware of your own limits and to self-advocate for downtime and regular rest.
Top Tip!
Using ‘energy level’ or ‘energy accounting’ resources can help to think about whether you/your child has any spoons or energy left. Sometimes a visual picture of an energy metre or battery can help us to understand how our energy levels fluctuate during the day. We can use this to help remind us when we might be out of spoons and need time away from demands, activities or socialising.
See an example resource from Twinkl here. Although this resource refers to autism specifically, this can help all neurodivergent individuals.
Used with the kind permission of Twinkl Educational Publishing. © Twinkl Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Find more lovely resources like these at www.twinkl.co.uk
Executive function refers to a set of skills which are often used together. These require teaching and modelling, practice, and repetition to develop.
Read more
Education Endowment Foundation
Executive function support strategies
Often beginning a task, e.g. getting dressed, making a meal, or doing homework can feel overwhelming – this can lead to inertia (struggling to start the task). Breaking a big task down into manageable chunks can support task initiation.
Sequential step-by-step checklists support working memory (helping to remember what to do next), as well as reducing overwhelm of a task by breaking its down into manageable chunks. For example, a bedtime or morning routine. It can be particularly helpful for these to be visual too.
Putting sticky notes, reminders, and visual prompts the house, near your working space, can help create cues and reminders to support memory. For example, putting your drinks bottle by the door to remind you to fill it up and bring it with you when you leave the house!
Timers can help support transitions from one task to the other. It can be helpful to have these as visual as possible, so the young person can see how much time is left.
Movement breaks can be useful for both in-between (transitions) or during tasks. Often neurodivergent children/young people need more stimulation and movement to support regulation and concentration. Sensory circuits can be useful too. See more information on about sensory processing on MindMate
Finding a quiet space to work, using noise cancelling earphones/headphones, listening to white noise or using fidget toys can all support with concentration. See more information on about sensory processing on MindMate
Using alarms can support with “time blindness” as a reminder for how far through you are during tasks, and how long there is left.
Body doubling is where someone completes the same task (or a different one) alongside you, this can help as it allows for a level of encouragement and support to remain on task.
The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique which encourages shorter bursts of work followed by a 5-minute break (25 minutes working, 5 minutes break). This can support concentration and break down tasks.
Sometimes making decisions can feel really hard – this can lead to procrastination as it can feel overwhelming to solve some problems, leading to ‘decision paralysis’. Using a pros and cons list and breaking the problem down can be useful when feeling stuck.
Routines – a basic one, but it is always helpful to set routines where possible, as these can provide prompts and encouragements. For some individuals they might want to stick to the same routine consistently, whereas others might prefer developing new routines every week/month to create more excitement and novelty to support engagement.
See the Emotions page of the website here.
Links and resources you might find useful
Activities to support executive function in the classroom
The ADHD Foundation Charity provide a range of recommendations to support with executive function challenges. This is a page particularly focused on activities to support executive function.
Go to ADHD Foundation websiteSelf-Regulation and Executive Function
The Education Endowment (EEF) Foundation charity support schools, nurseries and colleges to improve teaching and learning for 2-19 year olds through better use of evidence. They explain more about executive functioning and self regulation here.
Go to EEF websiteHow to ADHD
‘How to ADHD’ is a YouTube channel focusing on ADHD but there is also some helpful information about executive functioning that applies to all ND too.
Go to YouTube channel