Individuals with ADHD can often struggle with executive skill functioning, which can hinder daily functioning in school, work, with friends, and in family life. Have you ever wondered what executive skills are or what you could work on to make your life more manageable? A short explanation of executive skills is that they help support our goal-directed behaviours and help us to carry out tasks. Research by Dr. Peg Dawson and her colleagues has categorized executive skills into two areas, Foundational and Advanced. Foundational executive skills develop early on in life and continue to improve as we age. These skills include Response Inhibition, Working Memory, Emotional Control, Flexibility, Sustained Attention, and Task Initiation. Advanced executive skills develop later in life, beginning to develop in our teenage years and beyond. These skills include Planning/Prioritizing, Organization, Time Management, Goal-Directed Persistence, Metacognition, and Stress Tolerance. Even though individuals with ADHD may struggle with some of these or lag behind in developing these skills compared to others, there are ways to practice techniques and work with a professional to build strength in these areas. Here are some tips and tools we can use to help strengthen both our Foundational and Advanced executive skills:
Response Inhibition: Our ability to think before we act – to resist the urge to say or do something before evaluating how our behaviour might impact it. Some tips and tools we can use are:
- Removing temptations;
- Creating a cueing system to remind ourselves to use self-control;
- Building in “wait time”;
- Announcing our goals to a friend or family member;
- Allowing ourselves a small reward in exchange for giving up a big one.
Working Memory: Our ability to hold information in our memory while performing other complex tasks. Tools to use here are:
- Creating checklists;
- Putting visual cues in our environments;
- Using apps or technology to assist us;
- Having a duplicate set of materials we need in multiple places;
- Mentally rehearsing what we need to remember.
Emotional Control: Our ability to manage our emotions so we can achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct our behaviours. Tips and tools that are helpful could be:
- Practicing mindfulness meditation;
- Using self-talk and mantras;
- Using relaxation strategies;
- Avoiding situations that will trigger our poor emotional control;
- Pre-rehearsal of how we will handle an emotionally charged situation.
Flexibility: Our ability to change or revise our plans when obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes appear. Some tips and tools that are useful are:
- Preplanning to minimize surprises for ourselves;
- Walking aways from a situation and coming back later with a different mindset;
- Creating an if…then plan;
- Learning to recognize our physiological cues and using a default strategy we have planned;
- Asking ourselves, “What’s Plan B?”
Sustained Attention: Our capacity to maintain attention to a situation or task even in situations of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom. Tools to use here are:
- Setting “Personal Best” goals;
- Limiting our access to distractions;
- Monitoring our on-task behaviour;
- Screening out unpredictable distractions;
- Pairing aversive tasks with something pleasant.
Task Initiation: Our ability to begin projects without procrastination in an efficient amount of time. Some tips to help us are:
- Making a plan with a start time;
- Holding off pleasurable activities until the task is done (or started);
- Keeping our degree of required effort low (e.g., by limiting time on aversive task);
- Suspending our access to distractions;
- Using technology (e.g., a snooze alarm on a phone).
Planning/Prioritization: Our ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal we’ve set for ourselves or complete a task. Some tools that we can use are:
- Using a planning template;
- Using Post-It notes to identify steps, which can be easily re-arranged;
- Asking for help from someone who is good at planning;
- Practicing this skill by starting with something fun to plan.
Organization: Our ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of material or information. Some tips and tools that are useful are:
- Doing something fun while we’re getting organized (e.g., listening to podcast or book);
- Starting small (both in terms of time and space);
- Working off a checklist;
- Trading off with someone who is good at organization;
- Using mantras (e.g., “don’t put it down, put it away”).
Time Management: Our ability to estimate how much time we have, how to allocate it, and how to stay within time limits and deadlines; including a sense that time is important. Some tools to use are:
- Making a deal with someone and including a reward for being on time;
- Practicing time estimation;
- Setting your watch ahead to “trick yourself”;
- Asking for help (someone to cue you);
- Using smart phone alarms.
Goal-Directed Persistence: Our capacity to have a goal, follow through to completion, and not be put off or distracted by competing interests. Tips include:
- Choosing carefully; start small and be specific;
- Using mental contrasting, implementation intention and process visualization;
- Identifying potential roadblocks and systematically eliminate them;
- Building automaticity (do the same thing at the same time everyday);
- Posting visual reminders of the goal.
Metacognition: Our ability to stand back and take a birds-eye view of oneself in a situation. This is an ability to observe how you problem solve. Some tools that are useful include:
- Practicing self-reflection (especially following successes);
- Creating a system for analyzing mistakes;
- Learning to ask for feedback from others;
- Using a problem-solving template.
Stress Tolerance: Our ability to thrive in stressful situations and to cope with uncertainty, change, and performance demands. Tools for this include:
- Creating a personalized stress inoculation plan;
- Steering clear of stressful situations;
- Mentally prepare yourself for anticipated stressful situations;
- Building in recovery time.
If you’ve had a recent diagnosis of ADHD or have been wondering how to improve your skills in any of these areas in your personal life, book an appointment with us today!
