Executive Functioning Skills
Executive Functioning skills (EF/EF skills) cover a wide range of skills that we use to help us navigate through life. At a glance, these skills help us process all of the information we need to stay focused, get organized, make plans and solve problems.
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When humans are born, their prefrontal cortex is yet to be developed. As children grow, learn and develop, the prefrontal cortex starts to fill up with all the beginnings of EF skills. That part of the brain continues to grow and develop well into adulthood.
While the term “EF skills” encompasses an array of skills, you can further break them down into their own categories. This is where we can really see how EF skills affect our day to day lives. The general consensus amongst the ADHD community is that executive functioning skills typically consist of, but are not limited to:
Emotional control
Impulse control
Flexible thinking
Problem solving
Organization
Planning
Prioritizing
Self-monitoring
Task initiation
Task persistence
Working memory
Time management
Transitioning between tasks or activities
Each person develops these skills at different rates and in different capacities. Many people go through life with underdeveloped EF skills for various reasons. For some individuals, certain skills may come to them easier while other skills may require more effort to utilize. One of the more common explanations of this is being neurodivergent, such as being an ADHDer. However, having underdeveloped EF skills does not mean one will never strengthen those skills, it just means we need to “exercise that muscle” more, or in different ways to help us meet our goals.