Exec. Function problems vs. routines- contradiction?

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I was just PMing with someone here, and it struck me-

Isn't it odd that while people on the spectrum tend to want to stick to routines, patterns, even rigidly, there's also a problem with executive functioning?

Isn't that sort of a contradiction?

I'm not saying either symptom is false, just that it's odd they'd be both symptoms of autism, since NOT keeping things in order seems to be the opposite of HAVING to do things "a certain way".

Well, not everyone with autism has problems with executive functioning, it is just a prevailing theory that doesn't always hold water, but I do think a high varied cognitive profile (strengths in some areas, weaknesses in others) is very common.

In theory, problems in cognitive flexibility, a facet of executive function, causes people to stick to the familiar. In rats, damaging certain areas of the brain responsible for this flexibility causes them to become behaviorally rigid, doing things the same way over and over. Of course, some people with AS have intact executive functioning, yet still display behavioral rigidness, so I expect poor executive functioning is not the cause at least in some.

I think routines and being rigid can be a way to cope with poor executive functioning because if you have a routine or a certain way if doing things you have fewer decisions to make.

Often the reason I don't vary what I eat is because I don't want to decide something different. It is easier to stick to routine.

In my very hectic life, the only way I can manage to keep my life together is to have routines. Whenever I start to become "flexible" I notice that my executive functioning suffers. I simply cannot keep track of things, I forget things, and I become even more anxious because of it. It is hard for me to "think on my feet" and I can become stuck and upset if an unexpected change occurs. I dig my feet in deeper to and become less flexible, because the unknown and its consequences are really, really scary! I have been learning to let things go, and try to go more with the flow, but it is extremely anxiety producing. I won't necessarily have a meltdown over it, but I will become much more easily frustrated over things. I am a planner. I just have a need to know and be able to visualize what is going to happen each step of the way, especially in anticipation of new situations. There have been times where my life was so out of order (meaning, my living environment was not organized and in total disarray) that I got depressed to the point of considering suicide. It seems pretty drastic in retrospect, oh boy.

The routines can be subtle. They don't necessarily mean planning out every second of every day.

Not really.
The routines are there to deal with the executive dysfunction. Without a rigid schedule, nothing gets done.

Your thinking is too either/or.

A person can like things the same and have routines in one way but be completely disorganised in another.

IE I will eat the same thing for lunch every day, in the same way and even at the same table in the same place with the same drink but the time that I eat lunch might vary for example so may not be very organised in nature as it could be any time of day as long as its after breakfast or after when breakfast should have been if I don't eat it, which could also be at any time depending on how hungry I am. I sometimes even skip breakfast and go straight to lunch as my first meal of the day...

Sameness amidst chaos.

This is where I confuse people.

Whilst I am horribly disorganised time wise, I get upset if my expected lunch is altered unexpectedly.

Executive Functioning Disorders are Characterized by the following symptoms:

Difficulty and/or lack of interest in setting goals
Little sense of pleasure in making progress towards a goal
Difficulty taking initiative
Motivated by immediate needs
Past Consequences for negative behavior don’t alter future actions
Inability to reflect on past experience to plan for the future
Difficulty adapting to change
May vacillate from impulsivity to rigidity
May continue to use the same strategy to solve a life problem, even when it has already proven ineffective.
Doesn’t learn to stop and select a strategy that best fits a problem before trying to solve it
Very poorly developed identity or self concept
Little awareness of, or interest in learning of personal limitations or weaknesses, even if presented in a constructive manner
Rapid mood fluctuations, not due to a psychiatric mood disturbance
Insensitivity to inner emotional state. May “act out” an emotion, rather than recognize and verbalize a feeling.
Poor frustration tolerance. Gives up easily when frustrated.
Sees personal problems as externally caused. Unable to see his/her own contribution to the problem.
Difficulty taking other’s perspective, or point of view
Lack of empathy

https://www.rdiconnect.com/blogs/rdi-co ... order.aspx

Coping with Executive Function issues is one reason people might seek comfort in routiines, sensory issues are another. Routines are an imposed order and can be a defense against chaos.

There really is no contradiction--it's like a person who has a bad sense of direction and gets lost often carrying a bunch of maps, a compass and a GPS. A rational adaptation, rather than a contradiction, I would say.

I am not that heavily into routines, I think. I probably need more of them to help with EF issues.

I find that nearly all of my symptoms of Asperger's contradict each other.