A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

Different researchers have created somewhat different lists of executive functions. I've found that Russell Barkley's response inhibition theory is the most thorough and useful of these, so the executive functions theory that I talk about in this workbook is an outgrowth of his work. His theory is incredibly detailed and impressive but contains far more information than you need to know to manage your day to day life. So I've pulled out the aspects that are most useful for your daily life — the parts that not only explain why some things are so hard for you but also set the stage for the effective strategies that we will discuss.

The Executive Functions Develop Over Time

The development of the executive functions is part of the normal process of brain maturation. As the neurons grow and make connections through our brains we develop all sorts of abilities, from crawling to speaking to thinking about abstract concepts. Generally speaking, adults have more developed abilities than children do because our brains continue to mature into our thirties.

As with most of development, this process is guided by a combination of genetics and environmental exposure. Our genes give us a range of possibilities, and then experience shapes that genetic expression. In the case of ADHD, there is a lot of genetics going on. It is one of the most heritable of all the mental health conditions. Just as there are other abilities that run in families (like being a good athlete or having an ear for music), so too are there genes that affect the neurons involved in the executive functions and ADHD.

So your ADHD isn't the result of your parents not doing a good enough job — and there isn't much that your parents could have done differently to reduce your ADHD symptoms. When it comes to your ADHD, you can only blame your parents for your genes, but you may want to avoid that line of argument if you have kids of your own.

Summaries of the Executive Functions

I have provided brief summaries of each of the executive functions that we will cover in this workbook. Hopefully this makes these sometimes amorphous concepts feel more tangible and more easily relatable to your day to day life. We're going to get very practical in the exercises, but it helps to start with a solid understanding of the theory.

Working Memory: The Brain's RAM (Chapter 6) We use working memory constantly to hold information in mind as we remember what just happened, relate it to long-term memories, and think ahead into the future. Working memory and attention work very closely together, as working memory holds what we are attending to. People with ADHD tend to have blinky working memories, which leads to a variety of problems in their daily lives.

Sense of Time: It Can't Be 5:00 Already! (Chapter 7) People with ADHD have difficulty monitoring the passage of time and planning accordingly, a skill that's really important in today's busy world. As a result, they tend to spend too long on some activities and not plan enough time for others. This contributes to their well-known problems with time-management and getting places on time.

Remembering to Remember: It's All About Timing (Chapter 8) In our busy lives we all have dozens of little (and not so little) things to remember to do over the course of a day, such as phone calls and appointments or returning to something after an interruption. People with ADHD have great difficulty reminding themselves of these tasks at the right time, often forgetting completely or remembering only when it's too late.

Emotional Self-Control: Having Feelings Without Acting on Them (Chapter 9) People with ADHD tend to feel and express their feelings more strongly than others do and are more influenced by their feelings than other people are. This then affects their ability to see beyond their emotions in the moment and to take others' perspectives into account.

Self-Activation: Starting Then Finishing (Chapter 10) Everybody has to use a certain amount of force of will to get going on boring tasks, but people with ADHD have a much steeper hill to climb. As a result, they tend to procrastinate until the pressure of a looming deadline forces them into action.

Hindsight and Forethought: Using the Past and Future to Guide the Present (Chapter 11) We use the lessons from past experiences to make better choices the next time around. We also think ahead about the likely outcomes of various actions in order to choose the plan with the best odds of success. People with ADHD tend to react too quickly in the moment and therefore don't make the time to remember the past or think about the future, so they're more likely to make less optimal choices.

Although we can intentionally choose to approach situations in certain ways, many of the executive functions operate without conscious awareness, like breathing. If you watch little kids talking themselves through a difficult task, they are sort of verbalizing their executive functions — for example, softly repeating to themselves what they are supposed to do or giving themselves pointers along the way. Eventually it becomes automatic and we don't have to think about it as much, but we may still find that we sometimes become very intentional about using our executive functions in challenging situations.

Even though I talk about specific executive functions, keep in mind that they interact constantly and that the lines between them can be pretty blurry. Don't get hung up on exactly which executive function is at work in any specific situation. The goal in this workbook is to make it understandable and applicable in your daily life, which sometimes means simplifying a little.

Response Inhibition: It Starts with Stopping

The funny thing about executive functions is that people with ADHD use them really well — except when they don't. In fact, this inconsistency is a hallmark of ADHD (if someone has consistent struggles, then the culprit is probably something other than ADHD). So how do we explain that people with ADHD sometimes perform really well, yet at other times make really simple mistakes?

This is where Barkley's response inhibition theory comes in. Unlike simpler life forms...