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stevet
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26 Jul 2017, 3:10 pm

I understand how aspergers affects most folks on a daily basis with relationships and connecting with people and anxiety issues plus depression which I suffer them all but the real overlying problem for me which keeps me from doing much at all is executive function issues and having to think every dam action i make and the never ending searching pockets bag ect for keys,money items that i may have put there moments earlier and walking into the supermarket and then freezing up not knowing what comes next till I work through it in my head. How the hell I've endured this crap for over 40 years I don't Know and I can't see it changing.Reading this forum I'm assuming most aspies can't be suffering this problem or do they? is it only a small amount of aspies with function issues as i'm sure more people would find this the most major issue in their life as I know it takes up all my brain power just to do standard things nt's wouldn't even think about.



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26 Jul 2017, 7:22 pm

Executive Dysfuntion is a considered common co morbid to autism. I know I have all sorts of problems with planning and multitasking including conversatins with multiple people and changing from one activity to another. Low working memory and thus remebering where I just put things is also a problem.


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Knofskia
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26 Jul 2017, 8:08 pm

stevet wrote:
I understand how aspergers affects most folks on a daily basis with relationships and connecting with people and anxiety issues plus depression...

I agree that the majority of the posts on WrongPlanet are on the topics of socialization, communication, anxiety, and depression, but...
stevet wrote:
...but the real overlying problem for me which keeps me from doing much at all is executive function issues...

...I have seen a few posts about executive functioning.
stevet wrote:
...having to think every dam action i make and the never ending searching pockets bag ect for keys,money items that i may have put there moments earlier and walking into the supermarket and then freezing up not knowing what comes next till I work through it in my head.

For me, every action, no matter how routine and simple, requires the mental resources equivalent of a math test (hint: I think I have dyscalculia). 8O I routinely get mental overload, so my brain shuts down, and then I cannot mentally work out anything, and have to give up on errands.
stevet wrote:
How the hell I've endured this crap for over 40 years I don't Know and I can't see it changing.

I have only suffered through under 35 years of this. I keep hoping to see a post from someone who has learned to manage it.
stevet wrote:
Reading this forum I'm assuming most aspies can't be suffering this problem or do they? is it only a small amount of aspies with function issues as i'm sure more people would find this the most major issue in their life as I know it takes up all my brain power just to do standard things nt's wouldn't even think about.

It could be that more autistics have executive functioning issues but those issues are milder for them than their socialization, communication, anxiety or depression issues (e.g. they have mild executive dysfunction, moderate anxiety, and severe miscommunication).


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Knofskia
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26 Jul 2017, 8:24 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:
Executive Dysfuntion is a considered common co morbid to autism. I know I have all sorts of problems with planning and multitasking including conversatins with multiple people and changing from one activity to another. Low working memory and thus remebering where I just put things is also a problem.

Exactly. Many common autistic traits can be caused by executive dysfunction. A need for routine caused by a deficiency in planning. A dislike for change caused by a deficiency in task-switching. Communication issues caused by deficiencies in attention and working memory.

So there may be posts that do not mention executive dysfunction specifically even though it is the cause of the issues that are being mentioned.


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stevet
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27 Jul 2017, 12:53 pm

Thanks for the replies, I guess i've always lived like this so just didn't even notice or it almost seemed normal for me ,however for some reason recently this has really got to me and now i notice it all the time & it really gets me down not even knowing a way of improving this ,not sure if meds would help my scatter brain and it makes me feel like not bothering to do much as I can never win ,in fact as i'm getting older I think it's getting worse as I get more exhausted quicker.Not sure if anyone has some methods or potions to help?.



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05 Aug 2017, 1:42 am

Mine sucks and it always has, I literally had no notion of what executive function even was until I began exploring the condition and thought holy crapballs I might be onto something here regarding my complete flimsy grasp, perhaps my brain is addled and I have reason why my grip is rather loose in those regions! People I have appointments with give me very kind leniency if I do not arrive on time, I feel rotten about it but I really do try my hardest to get there at a reasonable time. I put things off and cannot prioritize if something unsettling like an emotional baggage carousel or a shiny trinket takes my fancy (usually affiliated with my scalding hot interests and that = numero uno to attend to) and it takes me about four times too long to get around to the original item that I ought to combat.



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05 Aug 2017, 1:22 pm

Executive functioning, not social skills is the part of autism which is the most disabling for me. Even menial tasks which NT's take for granted are very difficult for me due to the mental resources required. I can't multitask, I have difficulty starting and stopping an activitiy, every task requires so much more mental resources to process and decide how to proceed, I am disorganized, absent minded, poor time management skills, etc etc.

Compounding this problem is the chronic fatigue I endure everyday from a rare genetic bone and neurological disease I was born with. There is not a lot of resources to go around in the first place for me.



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05 Aug 2017, 3:06 pm

stevet wrote:
I understand how aspergers affects most folks on a daily basis with relationships and connecting with people and anxiety issues plus depression which I suffer them all but the real overlying problem for me which keeps me from doing much at all is executive function issues and having to think every dam action i make and the never ending searching pockets bag ect for keys,money items that i may have put there moments earlier and walking into the supermarket and then freezing up not knowing what comes next till I work through it in my head. How the hell I've endured this crap for over 40 years I don't Know and I can't see it changing.Reading this forum I'm assuming most aspies can't be suffering this problem or do they? is it only a small amount of aspies with function issues as i'm sure more people would find this the most major issue in their life as I know it takes up all my brain power just to do standard things nt's wouldn't even think about.
that's because it's more just a thing you just deal with rather than a thing you need help to deal with. I experience this all the time but since I experience all the time it doesn't seem as important as something I don't but causes me trouble. It's not that it doesn't come up it's just that people don't have as big of a problem with it. I mean I can't handle more than 2 steps at a time or I forget all the steps. I even lose everything. Partially because I'm really bad at looking at stuff. Do to being able to only see details. It's also that since people deal with it all the time They have developed their own ways to deal with it. Like for losing stuff. I always sub-consciously check to see if I lost the things that are most important to me. This helps when I'm out in public. I still have problems at my house, though. I generally ask other people to help me look for things. Though depending on your situation you might not be able to do this. It doesn't seem like as big of a deal because you experience it all the time. It does come up from time to time though. You just need to do a bit of searching. Again though it doesn't come up nearly as often as say meltdowns or self-harming, especially social issues. Although I personally don't use them lists calanders and etc. can help. Short term memory problems are the worst. Especially during burnout. Did something happen that has to do with it?


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stevet
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05 Aug 2017, 5:41 pm

your probably right pieplup ,when posting those observations looking back at that time now I was really quite down and maybe worn out ,seem to go through phases of this and right now i'm kind of ok and not dwelling so much on the issues mentioned, however i'm sure they are still present but my mood is just better . Not sure if it's a coincedence but this time last summer I got really depressed and vacant nearly got back on meds but stopped after horrible side effects and seemed ok once summer turned to autumn ,maybe I prefer the dark coldness of winter seems the wrong way round but i never seem to get too down in winter.



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05 Aug 2017, 6:14 pm

Knofskia wrote:
Many common autistic traits can be caused by executive dysfunction. A need for routine caused by a deficiency in planning. A dislike for change caused by a deficiency in task-switching. Communication issues caused by deficiencies in attention and working memory.

So there may be posts that do not mention executive dysfunction specifically even though it is the cause of the issues that are being mentioned.


^^
Yup. At 58, I cannot fully function as an adult, because of impaired Executive Function. Beyond paying my rent and utility bills on time and doing my own grocery shopping, I'm incapable of doing things most adults take for granted.

I can't purchase a vehicle without a grownup to negotiate on my behalf.
I can't go to the doctor alone, or fill out official paperwork of any kind.
I can't create long range plans, like a business model.
I can write creatively as long as it's spontaneous, but I can't create a story outline to save my life.


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05 Aug 2017, 6:16 pm

I can make pretty elaborate plans and follow them, but much of my time is managed very poorly, especially if I'm tired, depressed, etc. Clear goals help a lot. Then, I make lists so I can stop juggling everything in my memory. I recently discovered that I can't make an accurate list unless I'm working alone.



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05 Aug 2017, 6:22 pm

Yup, seems a common thing amongst us folk.. Until recently it was never a thought as i thought everyone experienced similar to me but somehow i was unable to cope in the same ways.. Well, kind of finding the answers now :) Seems Executable tasks can be a bit of a mission at times.. Everything is a thought process and very little is intuitive. For instance i will remember all week to make sure i put the recycling out on a given night, yet that night i am consumed by an interest or am on here typing my thoughts and totally forget said task.. That is one of many.. I used to kick myself for it but realise it is part of me and just to keep trying... Dont beat yourself up about it.. Pretty common in the NT world as well, hence why i dont really see it as a disorder of sorts, just that we have enough to think about daily! lol



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05 Aug 2017, 6:48 pm

Blog by Aspie describing Executive Functioning


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05 Aug 2017, 7:10 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:


Thanks for posting these! I really like Musings of an Aspie and Amythest Schaber :D .


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06 Aug 2017, 3:15 am

I am garbage at executive functioning. I constantly forget or misplace my things, can't estimate how long it will take me to do any given thing, and am disorganized as all get out. This frustrates a lot of people, since I seem competent in most other things, so obviously I should be able to remember something simple like bringing something someone asked me to bring, or determine that if it took me X days to turn around a report last time, it will take me X days next time and not X-2 days?

It seems like I'm just not trying when I fail to do these things, but as much as it sounds like a cop-out, I just can't. I've had many, many people try to "get me organized" over the years, and to no avail. It has nothing to do with IQ or level of effort; I am just truly absent-minded and scatter-brained.



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06 Aug 2017, 6:43 am

stevet wrote:
your probably right pieplup ,when posting those observations looking back at that time now I was really quite down and maybe worn out ,seem to go through phases of this and right now i'm kind of ok and not dwelling so much on the issues mentioned, however i'm sure they are still present but my mood is just better . Not sure if it's a coincedence but this time last summer I got really depressed and vacant nearly got back on meds but stopped after horrible side effects and seemed ok once summer turned to autumn ,maybe I prefer the dark coldness of winter seems the wrong way round but i never seem to get too down in winter.
The powah of psychology. :twistedevil:


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ever changing evolving and growing
I am pieplup i have level 3 autism and a number of severe mental illnesses. I am rarely active on here anymore.
I run a discord for moderate-severely autistic people if anyone would like to join. You can also contact me on discord @Pieplup or by email at [email protected]