Why Executive Functioning Skills Matter
Executive functioning is one of the new “buzz" words with ADHD.
You might have heard of executive function disorder, or your doctor has talked about how ADHD kids have a lot of challenges with executive functioning. While there isn’t a disorder that a doctor can diagnose you with, executive functioning skills are often related to ADHD. When your child received a diagnosis of ADHD, their psychologist may even have included measures of executive functioning to assess.
Researchers such as Dr. Barkley argue that ADHD should be seen as a disorder of executive dysfunction, rather than one of just inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Executive functioning skills cover the skills that are less seen and harder to notice on the outside of someone with ADHD. However, they are the skills that still significantly impact someone with ADHD.
What are the executive functioning skills?
It depends on who you ask and there is currently no consensus on how many skills there are. However, there is a consensus that these types of skills impact how you are able to execute tasks that are complex. This is why it is challenging for people with ADHD even when they know how to do something, to actually follow through with it.
Some of the executive functioning skills include:
Working memory
Self-monitoring
Planning & problem-solving
Task initiation
Organization
Emotional control
Flexible thinking
Impulse control
Being able to understand ADHD and the behaviors that accompany it through this lens can help you better understand your child. What may seem like your child purposefully being defiant may actually be the result of their executive functioning difficulties.
