Executive functioning is the set of skills that allows for us to think, plan and do everyday tasks, and ADHD individuals typically super struggle with all things related to thinking, planning and doing. We have poor executive functioning! These lagging skills can be quite catastrophic, as they refer to skills and abilities that peers of our same age generally perform better than we do!
You know the skills we are talking about:
- Being on time
- Remembering items like phone/keys
- Keeping up with daily to-do list of tasks
- and the list goes on
Executive function coaching is tailored exclusively for committed adults who are invested and ready to create positive change. We do NOT offer this service for children because science tells us that children require an adult to provide executive function feedback for them until they mature. That is why our approach is to empower you with the knowledge and skills to be an effective coach, whether you’re seeking support for yourself, your spouse, or your child. We focus on learning the underlying reasons for certain behaviors and provide specific strategies to overcome them. And, our program emphasizes the importance of fostering independence over protective coddling, which can make ADHD people fail to reach their potential.
But what are executive function skills?
It is really all things thinking, planning and doing! Here they are:
- Self-restraint (impulse control)
- Working memory (remembering to do all the things expected)
- Emotional control (not getting upset/angry or over-reacting)
- Focus (ability to maintain interest in non-preferred activities)
- Task initiation (ability to get started on non-preferred activities)
- Planning/prioritization (stopping the procrastination cycle)
- Organization (keeping up with the process and reducing the clutter)
- Time management (knowing how soon we have to start the process)
- Defining and achieving goals (knowing what is realistic, what is expected and how to accomplish both)
- Flexibility (how to recognize that the original plan might not work)
- Observation (how to observe and recognize what others need)
- Stress tolerance (how to handle the unknown)
Phew- I think we just perfectly described ADHD. Poor executive functioning is at the CORE of all things ADHD and that is why we believe focusing on executive function strategies is critical in the coaching process.