# Executive Function disorder



## OKdOut (Feb 22, 2008)

*"Executive Function disorder, is a disability of not being able to show what you know" *
*Executive Function disorder is associated with many disabilities: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), Learning Disabilities (LD), Tourette Syndrome (TS) , Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Autism, Depression, Bipolar, etc.*


*Activation, arousal, and effort *(getting started; paying attention; finishing work) 
*Working memory and recall* (holding facts in mind while manipulating information; accessing facts stored in long-term memory.)


*Controlling emotions* (ability to tolerate frustration; thinking before acting or speaking)


*Internalizing language *(using "self-talk" to control one's behavior and direct future actions)


*Taking an issue apart, analyzing the pieces, reconstituting and organizing it* into new ideas (complex problem solving).
 *Children with Executive Dysfunction have difficulty reading social cues and may feel overwhelmed in large group situations*

http://www.neurology.ufl.edu/memory/cognitivetest.shtml

Executive functions are thought to enable a person to successfully engage in independent, purposeful and self-serving behaviors. The major executive functions include response inhibition, which permits impulse control, resistance to distraction and delay of gratification; nonverbal working memory, which permits the holding of events in the mind and allows self-awareness across time; verbal working memory, which comprises the internalization of speech and permits self-description, questioning and reading comprehension; and self-regulation of emotion and motivation, which permits motivation, persistence toward a goal and emotional self-control.

*Executive Functioning skills involve:

* ability to stay focused on tasks 
ability to plan and anticipate 
organization of thoughts and materials 
ability to follow-through and complete tasks 
ability to cope with unstructured situations 
ability to cope with changes in routine 
ability to regulate emotions


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## Biscuit (Mar 20, 2009)

Hm...sounds awfully familiar.


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## RAHM2010 (Mar 18, 2010)

My 10 yr. old son struggles with Executive Function Disorder. Any ideas where can I find activities/lessons that will help him learn Executive Functioning skills? Thanks, Concerned Mom.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

I am disabled by this; it's associated with the ASD. I require a lot of support. Social services are now involved.

What helps is minimising anxiety, having a set routine - doing the same thing every day at the same time, having someone to prompt activities and changes in activity, and sometimes having a timetable or list breaking tasks down (if you can remember to look at it).


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

^ Something funnier is how I remembered my list for today, but still cannot execute any steps because there is nothing in my brain telling me how; it's a blank. I did wake up extra non-functional today, however. It makes me feel really ridiculous and guilty. The fluctuations in these conditions greatly complicates management. I somehow have to prepare for and get myself to an appointment later.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

It's also the type of disability that makes you unable to arrange support. I still have not managed to complete the overly complex benefits forms, get medical letters copied, get someone to add their account of my symptoms, or open a bank account to receive Direct Payments to employ a PA. To open the account, I need to apply for a passport for ID. To do that, I need my friend to help me out and also get one of her acquaintances to sign my photos (which haven't been taken yet), but she keeps forgetting. The social worker also needs to reply to me before I can fill out the main benefit form, and it's been over a week since I emailed her. I've lost hundreds from my savings over these delays.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

Well, I managed to get washed and half dressed. Apart from that, I've been wandering round my house in a fog, just sort of aiming at things that might trigger an execution of a task. The only things I can figure out are how to grab my charcoal sticks and drawing pad, and log into this place. I currently cannot plan my appointment, so will not be able to get as much out of it as possible; I usually print out some writing. Just turning up is all I can manage for today. Very, very frustrating.


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## Smitten (Oct 30, 2006)

odd_one_out said:


> Well, I managed to get washed and half dressed. Apart from that, I've been wandering round my house in a fog, just sort of aiming at things that might trigger an execution of a task. The only things I can figure out are how to grab my charcoal sticks and drawing pad, and log into this place. I currently cannot plan my appointment, so will not be able to get as much out of it as possible; I usually print out some writing. Just turning up is all I can manage for today. Very, very frustrating.


 HOw did it go?


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

I told the person immediately that I was unwell and asked to make the appointment short. It went very well and I got to leave early with the option of making another appointment to cover what was required. I was assertive and open about it with 2 people, and they were understanding.


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## Coffee24x7 (Aug 21, 2011)

*Looking for more info about living with EFD*

I am looking for an adult who suffers from EFD so I can talk about what its like to have the disorder. My daughter has had it for over 12 years, and I am trying to get a better picture of what to expect for her future. I have been her advocate and sole caretaker the entire time. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. :help


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

OKdOut said:


> *"Executive Function disorder, is a disability of not being able to show what you know" *


That is a problem for me also, particularly with talking. It feels like talking interferes with thinking. As if I can't jumble around the two very well. I suspect I have major verbal/working memory problems and I think part of my anxiety in social/performing situations stems from this because I have it also when talking with people I'm not anxious with. I think part of the reason I enjoyed school so much, is I felt more of an even footing with other students because verbal communication is less important than written communication, especially in the sciences.


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## cellophanegirl (Sep 21, 2009)

hmmm, this is very interesting. I def have some of these problems including a deficient memory. However, I have always done well in school, and I've always enjoyed things like "logic problems."

When things have deadlines I am able to complete them on time. However, if I have no guidelines and no deadlines I find myself unable to move forward with a task.

To me this seems like a disorder that appears compatible with SA, but isn't really. If you do some research you'll notice some things like hyperactivity, and inability to control emotion that seem to be at odds with SA. 

However, I do have a lot of difficulty making even simple decisions if guidelines aren't laid out for me (i.e. deciding what to eat for a meal, deciding how to organize my clothes, deciding what to do/where to go in a "free" day where I have no obligations). idk if anxiety causes this type of disability, or if my inability to decide and organize cause anxiety. I would be very curious to find out.


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## Zani (Jun 2, 2013)

how does your son interact with others? How does he have fun?


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## Zack (Apr 20, 2013)

Sounds. Like. Me. Why do I keep on saying that?


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## katyroq (May 29, 2013)

I identify with much of this as well. I have a lot of problems with working memory, but I think at least some of it stems from being so anxious I can't think. I also know I have always had trouble with reading comprehension and finding the main idea/organization from reading something.

However, I have been very successful in school and I'm good at problem solving. I think I am an overanalyzer (Hence the SA), and that leads to some trouble. It's like the "can't see the forest for the trees" situation. I'm so distracted by the trees that I can't see the forest. BUT if I look at every single one of the trees, eventually I will conclude that it's a forest, and I will have a much "deeper" understanding of that forest than those who look at it and right off the bat say "it's a forest". I think I work a lot harder in school than others to get the level of understandign required.


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