Executive Functions
Executive functions are the brain's self-management system - the mental processes that help us plan, focus, remember, and juggle multiple tasks. They're often called the brain's "air traffic control".
Executive functions underlie almost everything we do: getting ready in the morning, completing schoolwork, managing emotions, and navigating social situations. When executive functions are impaired, daily life becomes much harder.
Both ADHD and autisminvolve executive function difficulties, though in different patterns. Understanding these patterns helps you provide the right support.
The core executive functions
Examples:
- •Following multi-step instructions
- •Doing mental maths
- •Remembering what you went upstairs for
- •Keeping track of a conversation
Strategies:
- ✓Write things down immediately
- ✓One instruction at a time
- ✓Visual reminders and checklists
- ✓Repeat instructions back
In ADHD:
Often significantly impaired. "In one ear, out the other." Difficulty holding instructions while executing them.
In Autism:
May be uneven - strong in areas of interest, weaker elsewhere. Verbal working memory often more affected than visual.
Examples:
- •Not blurting out answers
- •Resisting temptation
- •Thinking before acting
- •Stopping a habitual response
Strategies:
- ✓Create physical barriers to impulsive actions
- ✓Build in pause points ("Stop, Think, Act")
- ✓Reduce temptation in environment
- ✓Practice in low-stakes situations
In ADHD:
Core difficulty. Acts/speaks before thinking. Difficulty waiting. Interrupts. Takes risks.
In Autism:
May have difficulty stopping preferred activities or shifting from established routines. Different from ADHD impulsivity.
Examples:
- •Switching from one activity to another
- •Adapting when plans change
- •Seeing multiple solutions to a problem
- •Understanding others' perspectives
Strategies:
- ✓Give advance warning of transitions
- ✓Use visual schedules
- ✓Allow processing time
- ✓Make the new activity appealing
In ADHD:
May shift impulsively between tasks (hyperfocusing then abandoning). Difficulty with boring transitions.
In Autism:
Core difficulty. Strong preference for sameness. Transitions are hard. May get "stuck" on ideas or approaches.
Examples:
- •Breaking a project into steps
- •Packing a school bag
- •Knowing what to do first
- •Estimating how long things take
Strategies:
- ✓Provide external structure (checklists, schedules)
- ✓Break tasks into small visible steps
- ✓Use visual timers
- ✓Plan together, don't just assign
In ADHD:
Often significantly impaired. Starts without planning. Loses track. Poor time estimation.
In Autism:
May be strong in familiar domains but struggle with novel planning. Often prefers detailed, explicit plans.
Examples:
- •Noticing you've made a mistake
- •Realising you're off-topic
- •Adjusting volume or behaviour
- •Knowing how you're coming across
Strategies:
- ✓Provide external feedback
- ✓Use checklists for self-checking
- ✓Record and review (video, audio)
- ✓Teach explicit self-monitoring strategies
In ADHD:
Difficulty tracking own performance. May not notice errors, impact on others, or passage of time.
In Autism:
May not automatically read social feedback. Can develop explicit self-monitoring with support.
Examples:
- •Calming down when upset
- •Not overreacting to small problems
- •Delaying emotional expression when appropriate
- •Recovering from disappointment
Strategies:
- ✓Teach emotion vocabulary
- ✓Create calm-down plans in advance
- ✓Recognise early warning signs
- ✓Help them calm down together before expecting them to do it alone
In ADHD:
Emotions felt intensely and expressed immediately. Quick to anger or frustration. Difficulty calming down.
In Autism:
Meltdowns when overwhelmed. May mask emotions then collapse later. Needs calm, sensory-friendly recovery.
Executive function development
Executive functions develop gradually as the prefrontal cortex matures. The brain isn't fully developed until the mid-20s - which is why teenagers can seem so impulsive.
Basic inhibition and working memory emerge. Very limited planning.
Gradual improvement in all areas. Still needs significant external support.
Continued development but uneven. The brain's planning centre still maturing.
The brain's planning centre reaches full maturity. Executive functions peak.
- •A child can be highly intelligent but have significant executive function difficulties
- •Knowing what to do and being able to do it are different things
- •Executive functions develop with brain maturation (not fully until mid-20s)
- •Stress, fatigue, and emotional state deplete executive function capacity
- •Executive functions can be supported through external tools like reminders, lists, and visual schedules
If your child has executive function difficulties, the solution isn't to repeatedly tell them to "try harder" or "just remember". They know what they should do - they struggle to make themselves do it.
Instead, provide external scaffolding: visual reminders, breaking tasks into steps, reducing distractions, and creating environments that make the right action easier.