Executive Dysfunction in a nutshell?

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This is a term I've heard used here and is something I think I can relate to. I have looked this up, but it seems like whatever I came across is miles of psychobabble. And having executive disorder, as I understand it, makes having to wade through all that verbiage way too exhausting.


This is my take on it:

It's hard to describe, but there's times when doing anything task orientated is "painful" so to speak. Think of the number one task/chore/assignment that you absolutely hate having to do, and then apply that feeling towards everything you have to or need to do. Dread, pain, stress, duress etc. And mainly because I'm so preoccupied with other things, that while they don't get anything accomplished, keep my brain very busy nonetheless.

Describing Executive Disorder in a nutshell: Your thoughts?

Last edited by briankelley on 16 Apr 2013, 11:21 pm, edited 4 times in total.

It seems to me that this disorder stems from the fact that some of the impulses in your mind are not well synchronzied and thus your thinking gets constantly disrupted. My hypothesis to this is that if you do something manual and repetitive with sufficient intensitiy it should regress.

Listening to music or any pleasent sensation may be a good start. Feeling sand between your toes or swimming or physical activity or simply regular talking may help. However this is just a hypothetical idea.

My take on this:

Executive dysfunction is due to an unwillingness and/or an inability to act out of what you could call "self-interest".

Let's look at where it goes wrong. If you need to do a task you need to:

(1) Know that you need to do it (because it is important to your life, i.e. in "self-interest" - it may very well be an action that benefits other people why it also benefits you).
(2) Remember that you need to do it.
(3) Think that it is important for you to do it.
(4) Be willing to do it.
(5) Have the ability to do it.


So in what parts does it go wrong?

Mainly in 1-4 I'd say. Asperger people often have the ability (and intelligence) to do it, but because they don't have enough focus on their own personal life they occasionally,

(1) Aren't aware they need to do something (don't think enough in "self-interest", i.e. are preoccupied with other things for instance)
(2) Forget they need to do it. (don't think enough in "self-interest", i.e. are preoccupied with other things for instance)
(3) If you don't have enough focus on your own life it's natural that you won't consider some of those tasks that important to you, i.e. what difference does it make (special interets are what matters)
(4) Perhaps consider it "selfish" to carry out some action that benefits themselves, perhaps won't be willing to sacrifice that much of their time on other things than special-interests.

I have never heard the term before, but reading briankelley's description of it, I feel I have that.

I find most tasks just overwhelming and tend to procrastinate. I dread having to do them. Even easy tasks. Many things end up accumulating and I find it very stressful. When I finally actually manage to do it (because I have no choice), I realize that there's nothing difficult about it. It's so easy and I feel my stress was for nothing. Most things feel like that. I never seem to learn that it's just my mind making things difficult for me because I keep thinking in the same way and getting reminded that things are actually easier than they seem. But in my case it seems to be tied up with perfectionism as well.

I have the dread when confronted with executive function tasks as an adult. I imagine myself being forced at gunpoint to do certain things, especially those I find unpleasant, like washing dishes or making phone calls.

I have managed to overcome some of those things with routines and time-management techniques and others with, well, depersonalization (derealisation?) where I'll send the "robot me" in to work while the real me stays at home in bed listening to the birds.

A good time-management strategy that helps overcome procrastination is to set a time-limit on something you really find onerous. For example, if I need to wash the dishes, I'll limit myself to 15 minutes worth of it. Another thing that helps is pretending while you're dong something you'd rather not do. Sometimes when I take out the trash, I pretend that I'm a prisoner trying to escape from an enemy camp. It's actually kind of fun then because I have to climb over a railing and unlock 2 gates to get to the alley.

My body is 46 but it seems like my mind is 10, .

I am very interested in this because I have big problems with it.

In a nutshell, when you have problems organizing tasks--life/family support activity, work-related tasks or financial actions, despite the feeling that you have a good grip on them at an abstract level, this is a problem with "executive function." Something in your cognitive processes is blocking you from getting things done, or planning effectively.

The disorder or dysfunction can show in difficulties scheduling, prioritizing, acting on plans and keeping records.

You may have an excellent idea of why something is important and how to do it but have some incoherent sense of an insurmountable obstacle in your way.

I want to learn as much as I can about it, because it is the biggest problem I have, besides not being able to read people well.

I would love to hear from anyone who has strategies for working around executive function problems.

Edited to add, Tony Attwood has a quick description of Executive Function in "the Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome":

Additional edit to add:
Brian Kelley's initial comment:

This is exactly how it is for me. And it's deeply frustrating because the tasks are usually not actually difficult to do. If I can find a way to trick myself into starting them, they are generally quite easy to complete. But it really seems impossible and horrible to try to start.

I hate this.

I have heard 'executive functions' defined as 'cognitive functions that regulate other cognitive functions'.

Another useful quick look at features of Executive Function from Attwood's book:

I think I am quite good at understanding complex and abstract concepts, adequate with inhibitions and impulse control, and have a decent working memory (maybe) but the rest... not so much. I have to work very hard to do this stuff and it is really, really frustrating.

I'm experiencing this big time right now. I'm supposed to move from Nevada back to Washington state. I really want to be back in Washington. My departure time was supposed to be the middle of April i.e. now. Unfortunately this move is purely elective. There's no one and nothing pressuring me to do it.

So I keep putting off what I need to do. I want to do it. I actually enjoy doing most of what all needs to be done. But I'm having such a hard time getting to it. It's as if it seems like an overwhelming task, but it isn't. I've done it all before.

I'd also have to say breaking away from established non-task orientated routines, having to put them aside, to perform the task at hand is also what makes it so difficult to get started.

I'm glad this thread got started!

I have SO much problem with executive function. My house is a mess, my truck is a mess, I'M a mess. But I seem to lack the initiative to do anything about it.

I start out with the best of intentions -- I'm going to do this, I'm going to get that done -- but when it comes time to actually start the process I get stuck. I get almost a "paralysis" about it -- I want to get up from the chair and do whatever it is, but it seems almost impossible, like my body refuses to move. I can almost FEEL myself trying to get up, but my body just won't quite do it. There are times that I just bound up out of the chair and do my project with no trouble at all. If my brain can function occassionally, why can't it work all the time?

And then there's the forgetting steps to what I need to do, so I get farther and farther behind, trying to remember everything I need do. I write lists, but then lose the lists.

The only way I can seem to get anything done is if I have some major deadline looming. I'll clean house if someone is going to be at the house in 15 minutes. I used to write research papers in college the night before, even though I may have known about it for 4 months. Maybe deadlines and the fear of punishment are what it takes to keep me motivated.

I found this interesting:
http://www.lynn.edu/academics/institute ... on-145.pdf

Edited to add:
There was nothing like this when I was in elementary school, high school, or college, and though I am heading for 50, I still find it very useful to look at these tips for young adults.
I am working on applying some of these techniques immediately.

When I think of executive functions, I think of executives in an organization to help anchor my thoughts. The things that executives do in an organization are the same kinds of things executive functions do in our brains.

Along the lines of Adamantium's post, there are many types of executive functions and most people have an array of strengths and weaknesses in these functions.

Some of the functions are "doing" kinds of functions (task initiation, persisting toward goals, sustaining attention, inhibiting responses, flexibility and controlling emotions), whereas others are more "thinking" kinds of functions (working memory, time management, planning/prioritization, organization, and metacognition).

For me personally, I have relative strengths in response inhibition, emotional control, flexibility and metacognition. I am horrible at task initiation and my ability to sustain attention is really hit or miss. I have problems with goal persistence (the queen of started projects and great ideas, not able to finish much of anything). My working memory stinks and I have learned effective strategies for time management, planning/prioritization, and organization (certified time management trainer), but exercising these skills takes a great deal of effort, so as long as my "system" is working smoothly and without interruption, I do OK, but as soon as someone throws in a monkey wrench or things get unbalanced, it all falls to crap rather quickly.

Executive dysfunction is the biggest problem both my son and I face. I have often said that although my son carries the "better" of the two diagnoses (ADHD, whereas my daughter has ASD), he is much more impaired than she is and I worry a lot more about his future. My daughters executive function issues appear much milder, though it could just be because she is younger.

I have often felt that ADHD should not be called ADHD. I do not have an attention deficit, nor am I hyperactive. I just can't control what I pay attention to. ADHD should be called Executive Dysfunction Disorder. Because when you look at the root cause of the problems people with ADHD have, it is all executive functioning stuff.

For those of you who have issues with initiation...this is the bane of my existence. People often think I am unmotivated, but motivation has nothing to do with it. I know what I have to do. I often want to do what I have to do. But inertial rules, and unless I am operated on by an outside force, I cannot seem to start. It sucks. And I am often embarrassed because I know other people think I am lazy and I don't want to be seen that way. I wish I could help it or do something about it, but I haven't yet found a way of overcoming it, except for assigning someone to kick me in the butt to get me going.

EXACTLY what I was talking about. It all seems so easy -- there's something to do, just get up and do it. But I've read there is so much more involved than just deciding to do something. Your brain has to decide what to do, it has to notify the various muscles, tendons, etc to do it, then those parts have to acknowledge the signal. It's like my brain is phoning my body about a task, and my body is ignoring the call.

The only time I seem to be able to get motivated and get something done is if I'm planning an event -- a vacation, a yard sale, something along those lines. I'll make all kinds of lists, make phone calls, send emails -- it actually seems fun to me then. Because I can do this, I can't help but think that desire at least plays a small part in all this. That would be the only explanation for why I can plan a trip to New Orleans and execute those plans, but I can't get up to clean my house.

My kids' neurologist told me that it is common with neurological issues for there to be inconsistency. In fact, he warned me against assuming that because they were able to do something once that they would be able to do it all the time.

Sometimes I do procrastinate. I just put things off. And sometimes I don't want to do something deep inside and so I don't. But those things are different. They aren't the same as the initiation thing I am talking about.

This has got everything to do with motivation IMO.

You are motivated for the vacation and the yard sale. You simply aren't motivated to clean up your house.

General motivation is often a big issue for autistics. I'd say the reason is they have too little focus on their own lives/too much focus on other things. If all your focus is on your own life you'll be motivated to do all tasks that will benefit your own life. Including cleaning your own house (even though that task may seem tedious).

With enough motivation and dedication you can almost do anything. What matters is that you consider the task at hand really important.