Executive Functions in Developmental Disabilities

I. Definition of Executive Functions. Executive functions are the control functions of the brain. They enable humans to learn, adapt to our environment and live a successful and productive life. They are critical for success socially, academically and vocationally. In many ways, the brain’s executive functions are like an executive in a large business. They include setting short and long-term goals, selecting strategies to reach those goals, initiating and organizing activities as directed by these strategies, and monitoring the results of these activities in order to ensure that the initial goals are reached. Executive functions are not the same as cognitive skills and abilities, such as language and perceptual abilities. Rather, they allow an individual to successfully coordinate and apply their cognitive abilities, skills and knowledge in pursuit of a goal. Another helpful analogy might be to consider how a symphony orchestra functions (Goldberg, 2001). Without the conductor to coordinate and direct the musicians, the result would more likely be cacophony than beautiful music. The musicians in the orchestra can be compared to the various cognitive abilities and skills an individual has; while the conductor represents the way the executive functions coordinate and organize the various components to produce a desired result. Executive functions are composed of a variety of component functions, as different authorities and researchers have proposed. Some executive functions that have been suggested include: the ability to formulate goals and generate plans and strategies, the ability to recognize when a problem exists, the ability to organize one’s behavior, the ability to select effective as well as efficient strategies, and the ability to monitor or observe one’s performance or behavior and to make changes as necessary. Control of attention is also an executive function. This includes focusing attention on important or relevant stimuli and information, maintaining attention over time, and shifting attention to other relevant stimuli when necessary. One prominent psychologist in the field of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dr. Russell Barkley (1997), has suggested that there are four key executive functions that are impaired in individuals with ADHD: the ability to mentally consider and manipulate information, whether verbal or non-verbal (referred to as Working Memory), the ability to regulate one’s emotional responses, the ability to use inner-directed speech to control or regulate behavior, and the ability to re-organize information and behavioral responses in unique ways. Regardless of the ways in which executive functions are broken down, their primary function is one of controlling and regulating your behavior.