At Summit we use the term “executive function deficits” to describe a range of challenges that our typical camper would face in his or her daily life. But what is “executive function”? The name sounds like someone sitting at a desk, orchestrating and telling everyone around them what to do. And in effect, that is exactly what executive function means- only, it refers to our ability to regulate ourselves and move within our own daily lives successfully.
Imagine that within your brain sits this executive. This little person within your brain is your body’s supervisor. It gives you your schedule, lets you know when there are problems you need to look out for, and makes important announcements (like, hello! you’re hungry!). This person is who you go to when you need problems solved, or feedback on how you’re doing with something, or when you’re not getting along with a co-worker. It sets goals and gives you tools to help you reach them. As you get older, you continue to build upon these tools- and retain information such as how to organize a larger project or set up your desk so you are able to find your belongings.
For those whose neurological processes are rather typical, this little person is a pretty good leader. They give positive feedback when things are going well, and provide support when things aren’t so great. They send warnings out when we are getting off track to help us steer back towards what we need to accomplish, and send out alerts when we need to put down what we are doing to pay attention to something else- a grumbling stomach or a good night’s sleep. Certainly even the most successful or “normal” among us can struggle with aspects of executive function. For the most part, however, our executive keeps us in line- helping us self-regulate and care for ourselves in a sufficient manner to achieve our daily tasks and goals.
For those whose neurological processes aren’t as typical, this little person can be one of the main challenges. This is particularly true for those living with ADHD, but certainly can pose problems for anyone whose neurological processes are affected by a disability, injury, or illness. For them, the executive in their brain doesn’t seem to be quite up to the task. Why isn’t exactly clear. Maybe their executives were promoted too soon! Because as a co-worker they might be funny and caring and easy going- but as a supervisor, they aren’t very confident and they don’t seem to have all the skills needed for the job. They don’t seem to be able to send out the right information at the right time, and their feedback is vague and not very helpful. They seem to react too little or too much, as a result sending their person into confusing spirals of anxiousness, frustration, and anger. Despite being the executive’s top jobs, they often forget to do things like send out the daily schedule or alert of problems ahead. Then when their person shows up for work, school, or to hang out with their friends, they aren’t prepared properly to handle it. When they make a poor decision, or bad things happen, their executive just shrugs as if to say, “that’s your problem”. As far as those little reminders- “like, hey! don’t you think it’s time you should eat something!” or “wait, don’t you think you should sleep on it first?”… well, let’s just say if the executive doesn’t have a handle on the basics it’s a lot to ask them to take on more challenges.
Most of us know what it is like to work for a “bad” boss, whether they are a nice person who doesn’t have all their stuff together or a mean, bossy, micromanager. For people who are living with executive function deficits, that “bad boss” works right in their own brains! No wonder, therefore, that people who have such challenges can become frustrated, lose self-esteem, and feel lost and depressed just trying to figure out how to exist. When we are working for a boss who isn’t a good leader, we lose morale and eventually QUIT! Yet, while we cannot quit our little executives within, what we can do is teach them how to be better leaders. This includes building on the many components that make up the job description for the executive: increasing ability to work on things that they don’t like to do, for example. At Summit we have taken on the challenge of learning how to help build executive function skills for our campers. Fortunately, there is more and more research and training available to help us do this. I have linked here some webinars, articles, and activities that are focused on this very interesting topic.
FREE WEBINAR: MICHELLE GARCIA WINNER (Social Thinking) “Demystifying Executive Function: https://www.socialthinking.com/eLearning/webinar-demystifying-executive-functions?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ig_el_boyandteacher_mixedmedia&utm_campaign=elearning_ig_webinar-demystifying-executive-functions&fbclid=IwAR0kDpOq65R–FAZ1kibOR3Fik5MepOE9GZl7nc75x1vmalyDC5NrG_Z7PU