Resources for Adults and Young People - Understanding the ND Experience

Executive functioning

Executive functions are a set of 8 cognitive processes or thinking skills that are necessary to plan and organise our actions, in order to achieve our goals. Everybody is different in their executive functioning strengths and differences, and neurodivergent individuals can have very varied ‘spiky profiles’.

Planning and Prioritisation: the ability to create a systematic approach to achieving goals, including breaking tasks into steps and determining their relative importance
Organisation: the ability to structure and arrange information, materials or physical spaces
Working Memory: the ability to hold and manipulate information for short-term use
Self-Monitoring: the ability to observe and evaluate your own thoughts, behaviours and actions
Emotional Regulation: the ability to exert control over one’s own emotional state, [which] may involve behaviours such as rethinking a challenging situation to reduce anger or anxiety
Mental and Behavioural Flexibility: the ability to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances, perspectives or demands
Task Initiation: the ability to independently begin a task or activity without procrastination
Inhibition of Impulses: the ability to resist impulsive urges and hold back from inappropriate or disruptive behaviours