Huh, what's executive functioning? Why is it important? What can I do as a parent?
With thanks to consultants Scott Mikesh and Colleen Kahn!
Science Not Laziness - Why Understanding Neurodivergent Functioning is Important for Everyone
Level 1 of Pos-Ability is all about executive functioning. Our goal with this level is to provide another explanation for executive functioning challenges besides laziness or lack of willpower. Level 1 serves as a creative introduction to executive functioning tools and skills, meant to help children see there is a scientific reason for their challenges. Simply understanding that there's a chemical reason why functioning is not happening is enough to shift the conversation from “I’m so lazy, stupid, and dumb” to “oooh, now I understand”.
Children don’t necessarily need to understand what exact chemicals are going where; just knowing that science outside of their control is happening can make a huge difference in self-esteem. When parents understand there's science behind executive functioning, it changes their response too. Armed with knowledge, parents can work to integrate science backed solutions to support and improve functioning. Additionally, parents can talk with their kids and introduce them to resources about neuroscience and neurodiversity when they're ready.
People around us have all kinds of disabilities, whether we can see them or not. Some people have highly visible needs, like maybe they might be missing a leg. This person might start off needing a wheelchair while they come to terms with their new life. They might have some physical therapy and learn to walk with crutches. Eventually, they might receive a prosthetic leg, and with a lot of hard work, be able to walk without crutches or even without a visible limp. In this case, we see the person with the disability needing intensive accommodations at the onset of their diagnosis. Then, they learn how to cope with what they need, talk with professionals (doctors, trainers, etc), and eventually may move to less intensive accommodations.
We see this and understand that this person needs support for circumstances outside of their control. Just like using a wheelchair clearly isn’t an “excuse” for someone with a missing leg, needing accommodations isn't an excuse for someone who is neurodivergent. It is true that walking the line between executive dysfunction and accountability is difficult. They’re still kids! However, neurodivergent children deserve patience, understanding, and the benefit of the doubt when executive functioning challenges arise. As difficult as that may be sometimes, it's important to remember this isn't fun for the kid either. No one likes feeling like they are constantly failing. This is why it's so important to learn about the science of neurodivergent executive functioning so we can develop our own shades of understanding.
Come On Man, Gimme Some Science Already!
Executive functioning is the everyday stuff. For example, getting up in the morning, planning out the day, leaving on time, and all the other actions that make your day work. Executive functioning also includes skills like emotional regulation, impulse control, working/short-term memory, problem solving, critical thinking, and navigating stress.
While the prefrontal cortex is the primary region of the brain that controls executive functioning, complete executive functioning relies on many neural networks. Namely, the parietal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum (Rabinovici et al., 2015). All of these parts of your brain have to connect together really well to execute successful executive functioning.
Executive functioning abilities improve over childhood and adolescence, then decline again into old age (Rabinovici et al., 2015). This is partly due to the loss and gain of prefrontal function as well as a process called myelination. Myelination describes the process of protein sheaths forming around our neurons. The protein sheaths make electrical signals travel up and down neurons much faster, which improves the connectivity in the brain (Estrin & Bhavnani, 2020). Myelination is critical for behavioral functions. Generally, neural system behaviors that are present in early life are myelinated first, while the prefrontal cortex is one of the last. Areas of the prefrontal cortex don’t become fully myelinated until middle age (M.C. Moulson & C.A. Nelson, 2008). Interestingly, the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary physiologic processes, isn’t myelinated (M.C. Moulson & C.A. Nelson, 2008).
The frontal lobe circuitry responsible for executive functioning and regulating the stress response is different on the autism spectrum compared to neurotypical individuals. Specifically in autism, differences in cortical thickness within the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes of the brain have been shown to lead to differences in brain connectivity and synaptic structure (Ong & Fan, 2023). This research is only just starting to be neurologically studied and understood, and some research has yielded opposing findings on cortisol thickness across brain regions in autism.
Differences in prefrontal cortical structure and thickness explain why executive functioning is a much bigger challenge for neurodivergent people, and especially in children. Executive functioning is a matter of neurological development and activity, not a matter of laziness or willpower.
Inside and Outside the Game
The game mechanisms in the first level get players to support their characters' frontal lobe circuitry without even realizing it. Players have to physically use the planner in order to see the next puzzles of the game. After players have solved the puzzle, they are rewarded with a chest filled with cheese along with a collectable card that talks about what they just did. While the game does talk about supporting your brain, the game does not talk about differences in prefrontal cortical architecture. The idea is to get children to understand that there is science behind their brain without discouraging them from playing. At the end of the game, Rastronaut must be saved from the Shadow of Stigma with the science, friends, and cheese collected along the way.
We want kids to takeaway:
Some disabilities are visible and some are not, but they are all really there. There are actual physical and chemical reasons that neurodivergent brains work differently, and that’s ok.
Neurodivergent people may struggle with executive functioning, but being neurodivergent means you can see things other people can’t.
Successful people use tools like planners. They’re not a crutch for the weak; they’re a resource for the strong.
Example ways to integrate the science of Executive Functioning at home:
Use a planner or other scaffolded executive functioning tools
Routines and habits make executive functioning less of a chore - i.e., always hang your keys on the hook next to the door when you come in. Pick your clothes out the night before. Pack your backpack ahead of time, when you’re not racing around at the last minute and forgetting things (these work for everyone!)
Make steps really clear. Instead of telling the child to clean their room, it’s much more effective to build a checklist together of what a clean room means. This differs for every household: some families insist that there be nothing stuffed under the bed, where others just want a path between the closet and the door. The child can then refer to the checklist to accomplish the bigger job of cleaning the room.
Help your child understand how time passes. Neurodivergent brains perceive time passing differently from neurotypical brains. This might be by sounds, a visual timer, or other means.
If you experience any of these challenges in yourself or your child, and have not considered that you or your child may be neurodivergent, it’s time to have this important conversation and find the healthful support and resources you and/or your child needs.
References
Rabinovici, G. D., Stephens, M. L., & Possin, K. L. (2015, June). Executive
dysfunction. Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455841/#R5
M.C. Moulson, & C.A. Nelson. (2008). Myelination.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/myelination
Ong, L. T., & Fan, S. W. D. (2023, December 1). Morphological and functional changes of
cerebral cortex in autism spectrum disorder. Innovations in clinical neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10773605/#:~:text=Changes%20in%20the%20thickness%20of,social%20impairments%20and%20repetitive%20behaviors.&text=Furthermore%2C%20abnormalities%20in%20the%20development,also%20associated%20with%20social%20impairments.
Estrin, G. L., & Bhavnani, S. (2020). Myelination. Myelination - an overview
ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/myelination#:~:text=Myelin%20is%20important%20for%20the,cells%2C%20around%20axons%20of%20neurons.