Executive Functioning Skills and their Connection to ADHD
By Nicholas Bamonte
ADHD: More Than What Was Once Thought
Of all forms of neurodiversity, ADHD is certainly one of the most widely talked about. What started with debate and controversy after a surge of diagnoses and medication prescriptions in the late 90s and early 2000s has evolved into widespread acceptance among the general population by the 2020s. Note acceptance, not understanding. While far fewer people will outright deny its existence, the average person’s understanding of ADHD is either lacking or misinformed. Though I suppose that you can’t blame the general populace too much, since there is still debate on what ADHD even is among the highest echelons of psychological and neuroscientific academia. Classically, ADHD has been considered a “behavior disorder” of attention and hyperactivity, while more and more experts believe it to be either a “cognitive disorder” that is heavily involved with executive functioning issues, or an outright “Executive Functioning Disorder”.
The Nature of Executive Functioning Skills
This, of course, leads us to the question of, “What even are executive functioning skills?” Well, in the broadest sense, they are like the brain’s internal secretary, the collection of functions, skills, and circuits that manage, organize, and distribute information throughout the brain’s specialized regions. As with real life secretaries, one may assume these to be “menial” or “less important” functions. When in reality, much of what we consider “higher order” functions, complex brain tasks and abilities needed for higher thought or observed almost exclusively among humans, are all products of these “humble” processes.
Depending on how one measures executive functions, they can be broken down into either a couple of main functions that come together to allow for higher order functions, or are several interrelated, yet distinct, skills. Of the former, they are most commonly identified as working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control. Working memory (sometimes split between verbal and nonverbal working memory) is like RAM in a computer, it is the brain’s capacity to store information actively being used in whatever other processes in which it is engaged. What was just said to you in a conversation, your formulated response in a conversation, and all of the other information needed to make sense of what was said and how you formed your response all utilize your working memory. Cognitive flexibility is a person’s ability to change and adapt one’s own thoughts. More specifically, it is what allows us to switch from one train of thought, plan, or task to another. Think of it like our thoughts carry a certain “momentum” to them, and our cognitive flexibility is the force that allows us to overcome that momentum. Finally, inhibition control is the ability to control our thoughts, but this time in the sense of holding back or stopping certain thoughts or mental processes. It is used to hold back our impulses to act or speak, intrusive thoughts, or block out distractions, both internally and externally.
From the perspective of distinct skills, they can be broken down into self-awareness, self-restraint, non-verbal working memory, verbal working memory, emotional self-regulation, self-motivation, and planning and problem solving. Personally, I prefer the “three basic functions” interpretation, with these distinct skills emerging from the interplay of these three basic functions. Working memory exists at the core of most mental processes, as the brain needs to access and store the information used in whatever thoughts it is having. As most complex thought and skills require a multitude of different information and thought processes to occur, one will need to employ cognitive flexibility to switch between each sub part of the greater thought or process. Inhibition control, meanwhile, allows us to even think through a decision or action, holding us from acting until a plan or action is fully formed or considered, and suppressing distractions or irrelevant thoughts from disturbing the process. It is from these basic functions that such complex thought processes like self-awareness, planning, decision making, self-regulation, motivation, and problem solving all become possible.
A Changing View
Now, for anyone familiar with the ADHD experience, whether from a first-hand account or through observing someone with ADHD, the link should start seeming somewhat self-evident. The biggest hallmarks of the condition, distractibility and hyperactivity, are directly related to inhibition control. Poor inhibition control leads to a struggle to block out distracting sensory impulses, such as noises or visuals, or thoughts from one’s own mind. And for hyperactivity, well, as many detractors in the early 2000s pointed out, moving around and being hyper is normal for kids, certainly more so than sitting still in a small classroom for hours a day. Ergo, kids may have a natural impulse to act in ways that we consider “hyperactive” and they need to inhibit these impulses. And if you have poor inhibition control? Well, you’ll probably engage in more of these “hyperactive behaviors”. This would actually help to explain the general decrease in hyperactive behavior as kids with ADHD grow into adults with ADHD. ADHD was once considered more of a pediatric condition, something that people would generally outgrow. Modern research, however, has disproven this old belief, showing that ADHD traits are still present in adults, they just tend to manifest differently, with one of them being a reduction in hyperactive behavior. Furthermore, it’s been widely known that a common trait of ADHD is impulsivity.
Problems with working memory can further exacerbate distractibility issues. When a computer runs out of RAM to store information, a crash can occur, the computer’s processes brought to a violent halt due to being unable to take in data that it needs to perform its current functions, and whatever information being stored in RAM being expunged, either partially or completely, to make new room, including data that it still needs. A similar process can help explain how poor working memory can contribute to people with ADHD being distractible, scatterbrained, and forgetful, and even help shed light on the nature of “ADHD meltdowns” and associated sensory aggravation. As for cognitive flexibility, well, people with ADHD and similar forms of neurodiversity are known to be prone to “rigid thinking” and struggling to switch between tasks, and especially multitasking (not that the human brain is actually all that good at multitasking to begin with).
With all these clear lines being drawn, it should be mentioned that ADHD is still not formally considered an “Executive Function Disorder”. Science, or at least good science, is slow moving, and while many clinicians and researchers are further associating ADHD with disruptions in executive brain functions, they are not currently recognized as a formal symptom of ADHD. There are a number of other forms of neurodiversity that can be associated with impairments in executive function, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dementia, or even brain tumors. It is also acknowledged that a person can have executive function impairments without ADHD, and vice versa.
Our understanding of the human mind and its many functions and conditions is ever evolving. Therefore, it is important to be receptive to new ideas and understandings, and not just to do so passively, but to seek out new information. Naturally, it is unreasonable to expect the average person to read up on the latest scientific journals. Furthermore, being too far on the cutting edge is to be in the realm of pure conjecture. Still, as someone with ADHD, I think it’s fair to want people to grow beyond a “behavioral” interpretation of ADHD. I certainly know that I’m not merely “misbehaving” or acting odd. I’m trying my best, and following through with what’s in my head and heart, as messy as it can be.
Sources:
Helping Kids Who Struggle With Executive Functions
Relationship Between Adhd and Executive Function Challenges
7 Executive Function Deficits Linked to ADHD
My name is Nicholas Bamonte, and I am neurodivergent. My formal diagnosis’ are dyslexia and ADHD, though the aspect of neurodiversity that I have struggled with the most throughout my life is slow processing speed, which is not typically recognized as a diagnosable disorder in itself. Thanks to early intervention, I do not really remember much of my struggles with dyslexia, though the poor executive functioning aspect of ADHD and often feeling behind the rest of the crowd are a different manner entirely. A graduate of FIU with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, I hope to assist the millions of people who struggle with learning differences and the difficulties that come with living in a world not designed with their particular brains in mind. Even if only as an advocate who helps to spread awareness, the feeling that you’re not alone and that your condition is recognized by society goes a long way in itself.
