Executive function and everyday activities

Post Reply New Topic

Hallo there, I'm not really new to this forum but is the first time I decide to register and post.

I just have a silly question: How low working executive function affects you on everyday activities?

Despite of being curious about it I still don't catch the theoretical concept, so I thought maybe everyday examples could clarify me more what is it.

A little about me, I'm not english native speaker (so sorry in advance about that, I learned mostly by myself), I'm 30 and I'd been "officially" diagnosed Asperger two years ago, though was already aware that I fit somewhere in the spectrum since I was 22.

Thank you!

Not sure if this helps. I'm new here and hearing a lot of terms and such for the first time. I found this:

"Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and departures of many aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs this skill set to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses."

As I read this, it appears that there is a lack of Executive functions in ASD.

For instance, me: I am very good at planning and can focus very strongly. But, I cannot process multiple instructions or do multiple things well. I also cannot deal with distractions and have poor impulse control. I can prioritize and follow through as long as there are no distractions or conflicting instructions. I have to work in a very planned out, serial style of function.

I'm great at starting things, but suck at finishing them. It's the problem solving that I enjoy. I hate the wrap up.

I have no idea if I'm on the mark or not though.

Welcome / Bienvenidos.

Let me put it this way: Every time I read the words "executive function" I cringe with guilt.
It makes me think of my messy, cluttered apartment.

Tengo papeles en todas partes y necesito limpiar ...

And also, if I'm in a noisy environment and somebody is standing right in front of me and talking to me, I will not properly hear or remember what they are saying because my ears are picking up all the background noises and sounds, and it's all very loud.

Es que si alguien me está hablando, no puedo entender bien cuando hay otros ruidos al mismo tiempo.

...

Last edited by the_phoenix on 16 Nov 2015, 3:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

planning, decision-making, executing a plan or strategy, staying focused despite distraction, these are executive functions - things that have to do with getting things done and staying goal-oriented.

I know some very bright people, me included, who don't accomplish very much in life, and this is probably the area of autism symptoms that bothers me the most.

Thank you for starting this thread.

Because my EF effects my ability to organise my thoughts and plan my day, I over-compensate and start desperately trying to control everything .......taken to the extreme over the years my obsessive systemising strategies have mutated into OCD.

When I was first Dx with HFA as an adult, I did not relate to many of the defining characteristics, that was because my adaptive self had become 2nd nature to me (until depression cracked me open revealing my autism). One such thing was my executive function difficulties, as when I read about being disorganised and having difficulties planning I thought, "nope, that's not me, I am superobsessively organised"

Slowly I am starting to see that so much of my life has been lived trying to survive. Now I am able to see that by planning and attempting to control everything all the time I am not a naturally good organizer as I have to put an enormous effort into it to just stay afloat.

Thank you all for your words, they englinghten a lot this elusive concept.
I felt very embarrassed after posting, (does anyone have similar feelings when being open to others?), then the replies made me think about EF and in what points it's lack (or low working) affected me. Thank you again!

Same here. That's why I dropped Physics at university. I was delighted understanding math concepts though once I grasped them I was lazy to solve written problems and reinforce the knowledge. Now I'm trying to force myself to solve that kind of problems at a daily basis but I'm still not clever enough to trick myself into it.




¡Hola! ¡Gracias!
I know what you're saying, that happen to me too. I like to say that "No tengo filtro" and laugh about it, but sometimes its unbearable. I think its because I can't screen stimuli and when there's noise interfering my brain has to overwork in order to have all info processed.
Me pasa no sólo con la interferencia auditiva sino también visual.



Sometimes I feel like I've been wasting my time since my early twenties not doing all those things my abilities allow me to, and then I think that even if my days could have 26 hours I'm still need more hours to fullfill and accomplish my interests. It's like to have plenty of potential but not enough time for application.
Also I cannot restrain my interests; almost everything is of interest for me.
Sometimes I spent idle time (as when traveling) doing little maths trying to plan efficient cronograms. Mostly of time I don't know how to feel about this potential, I know I'm very good to work at full capacity and under pressure for a month or so but after that I have to cooldown all my activities or risk my mind to have a meltdown.



Thank you for replying.
I gave up organizating my life as a set of ordered things one after another. I just try to keep an agenda for work. As for personal matters I try to run all the pieces in the best possible manner to take the most of it (like in Tetris), though not always works.

Also survive was the rule that governed my life, specially in my teenage years. Sometimes when in social situations, I disguised myself as another person (a little more stupid and a lot more 'normal') to be in control of the output.
Even now when I tell someone about my ASD they say to me "oh, really? You don't seem like THAT" (I wonder what 'that' mean when they say in THAT way). I also had a motto: Don't trust anyone, don't believe people, don't give yourself, don't compromise". And that worked fine for most of my life but then I realized that I was slowly becoming my own disguise. I had to put such effort blocking potential risks from others and to shielding my vulnerable points that little space has left for being myself, even in solitude.
So after that I tried (I'm strill trying) not only to survive but to live, and I have found this healthier even when expressing what I am ends in a mess without control. It's hard for me, being naturally oriented to distrust people and having to grow in harsh conditions, but I try to let myself be as much as I can.

For me, the trick has been to find a small number of people you can trust thoroughly, and lean on them for support. I have one good friend at work, I have my spouse, and I had my psychologist who has just retired. Other family members I love but cannot trust, it's just an acknowledgment of how they are. It is dangerous to trust everyone; it is safe to trust those who merit that trust.

Edited to add:

Love many,
Trust few,
And always paddle
Your own canoe.

My EF problems show up in a few specific ways.

1. Organization - I can organize ideas, time, and people pretty well. But physical space? Nope. I have clutter everywhere. The components of my projects are scattered. I have a hard time deciding where things should go, and a lot of times the act of putting things away seems like an unsurmountable project.

2. Keeping track of things that have to get done. I forget to do things - chores, paying bills, bringing books back to the library, etc. It's not because I don't *want* to do them, but because I get absorbed in something else and just plain forget. This caused a tremendous amount of friction between my mother and I when I was young. (I am not yet diagnosed, so there was no understanding about me being on the spectrum back then.)

3. Keeping track of things - I lose/misplace things (this was worse when I was younger - I have developed more of a routine now.) I repeatedly left my lunch at home, left my books in my locker (when I needed them for homework that night), locked myself out of the car/house, left my instruments/music at home, etc. I still can't remember *everything* I need for certain things. It doesn't even help if I leave what I need to bring to someone near the front door - I will walk right by it. One of my mantras (when I forget something) is "Today I remembered many things. That was not one of them."

All of those things are frustrating, but they are not the worst. This is the worst.

4. Emotional regulation - I get obsessed thinking about certain things that either make me very happy or very upset. Unfortunately, there are many things that can affect me this way because my emotions are so intense, and I feel like there are only two options - on or off. The problem is it's in my head, and I really can't get it to go away. If I am ruminating on a thing, it affects my ability to just go and do something that I need to do. A lot of my work is creative, too. If I am ruminating on something it clogs up the creative flow, and I can't get any work done. I haven't yet been able to figure out a way to stop ruminating.

Siberia.spica, i think this is a very good thread. Please don't be self-conscious about asking about this--it makes those of us who have difficulty with this area (namely, me ) feel better to know we are not alone in this.

Nerdygirl, it's like you got inside my brain. All the stuff you listed are also things that i struggle with and you said it very well.

One difference i see, though, is that i have difficulty organizing time as well. I try to keep a schedule; but when i am in a setting where duties in relation to time are flexible, i have a lot of trouble with being consistent and organized. My husband's days off work are different every week which is a killer for me because my schedule changes from week to week as well, though i try to keep things somewhat consistent for our kids' sake.

Things i do to help myself are lists, lists, lists. I have a "household management" notebook which lists everyone's duties on weekdays, weekends, and misc. duties. I also find that my day goes more smoothly when i start with a list in the morning and check things off as they are accomplished. I don't feel so adrift, and i don't forget things as quickly.

The most painful thing about executive function issues for me, i think, is the feeling that the rug has literally been pulled out from under me when plans change. I can't readjust and "fly by the seat of my pants." So to speak. When this happens it is agonizing. I do try to have some contingency plans in place if i foresee plans changing. That helps too.

You might find it helpful to read Dr Tony Atwood's excellent book, 'The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome'. I'm not sure if it's available in Spanish, but it's certainly translated into several languages.

It has a very comprehensive section on executive function and how it can be improved.

I'm going to add another...

Getting overwhelmed by options and getting stymied making decisions.

When we had a Basken Robbins ice cream shop around here, it used to take me 15 minutes to decide what flavor ice cream I wanted. It was like I had this super-long flow chart in my head I had to go through to help me decide.

When I was a kid, my parents would ask me what I wanted for Christmas. I *NEVER* gave them a list - not once. Partly, it was because I just did not care. Partly, it was because that is just such a super broad request!

I had a composition lesson tonight, and my teacher suggested I listen to some orchestra music. Come on! I think I would listen to a lot more except where to start??? I sit and think "OK...orchestra music...composers....the list is so long and now I'm overwhelmed and can't think of any names and how do I know which one is the best one to start with???? And you're asking me to look at scores for my FAVORITES?!?!?!"

I try to watch a movie on Netflix. I can't remember the names of any that I was once interested in and haven't watched yet, can't remember the names of any actors I like, and the choices are WAY TOO MANY... no movies get watched.

Ditto on all this... I get messed up when the plans change. Lists help me too.

BUT, I cannot list things on regular lined paper unless I skip lines or ignore the lines. I won't see everything on the list. That is why if I go to the grocery store with a regularly written list, I will inevitably forget to buy at least one thing that was WRITTEN on the list!

I get so upset when the plans change. Sometimes I still cry when things don't go "my way." Ugh. Sometimes I feel like a big baby.

When I have any checklist, I just line through the collected item. That way when I get through it, I'm forced to look at each and every line. Derives my wife crazy when I drag her from one end of the store to another because the list is not arranged by location.



There is something very upsetting to me when plans change. I remember being harped on incessantly by an ex-girlfriend about my apparent lack of spontaneity. I mean, really hammered. But, what was weird was when I would 'try' to be spontaneous, it was really awkward.

I would actually try to plan my spontaneity, if that makes sense. Never worked. And, yeah, I've heard enough of the "My way" complaints from people in my life.

The thing that puzzles me is this: If there is an argument at all, it means both people are trying to get "Their way". So, why am I the one taking the heat about it?

This. All of this. Except the ex-girlfriend harping part. right down to skipping lines on the paper so i can read the items i wrote. i have to have each item clearly itemized and grocery lists have to be grouped by location in the store or i will forget something. I hate walmart or other warehouse type stores. i cannot stand to walk 4 miles back and forth across a store for the bare necessities just to forget the last item that happens to be 1.98 miles back across the store from the checkout. And the sheer amount of stuff puts me on overload when it comes to choices. I usually get the same items week after week and the same brands. Not because i am a brand snob, but because i can't do the calculations necessary to decide if i want to try a different brand this time.

and nerdygirl, also the decision thing. I have a horrible time with deciding, especially if there are a lot of options.

I suspect my dad is also an aspie although he has never been diagnosed. This is probably the biggest trait i see in him. He cannot make decisions. Even the smallest ones paralyze his thought processes. Drives my mom crazy at times but it is not something he can "snap out of." When he does decide, he agonizes over the option he didn't take and whether it would have been the better one. Heaven help us if there are more than 4 options. But i do the same thing, although not to the same degree.

I have to plan things to the n-th degree and my "spontaneity planning" consists of contingency plans for the first plans falling through. There is no spontaneity whatsoever in my mind. Just mass confusion when my plans are changed because the computer that is my brain can't reset itself at the touch of a button. I can't cry over big important things that i should cry over, but i can cry in frustration at times over what seem to be petty things. Grrr. I am in my 30s and one would think i am adult by now.

I have an Aldi grocery store near me, and it has been one of the best things that has helped simplify my life. The biggest reason is because I don't have to make a million agonizing choices. The maximum decision is what kind of canned tomatoes do I want, diced or crushed. I don't have to choose between brands because there is only one choice. When it comes to cereal, I only have to choose the flavors I like. There's no standing in the aisle trying to discern between a hundred multi-colored boxes of various brands to find the one I'm looking for. No trying to find the "store brand" that is trying to copy looking like a name brand.

The only issue is produce...Aldi carries the basics, but if I want something unusual I need to go to a bigger store. That's not a problem when my garden is up-and-running, though.

I lo-o-o-ve Aldi's for that reason. Our local one has a pretty good produce selection too. The only drawback is that it is 1/2 hr away. (We are pretty rural so any stores of significant size are at least that far away, not just Aldi's.) I do a lot of canning and freezing from our garden so that helps. I try to get as much as possible locally from farms/produce stands/local bent-n-dent stores and minimize longer grocery shopping trips. I hadn't thought about it really, but being able to do this helps with my executive function difficulties because it simplifies things as well. I would so much rather deal with a small mom-n-pop operation than a large corporate chain. Often the people know you and are more helpful if you need something or have questions.