Executive Function and the Autistic Brain

Up to 80% of people on the spectrum may struggle with executive function*. This video covers the definition of executive function, 12 mental processes associated with executive function, and strategies for working with your own specific strengths and weaknesses. Also, stay tuned at the end for the link to a questionnaire that can help give you insight into the executive functioning in your own brain! 🧠🤔🤯

⬇️ Scroll down for timestamps to jump to a specific section of the video.

❤️ 🧡 💛 MY FAVORITE THINGS 💚 💙 💜

📪 Business Mailing Address 📬
Taylor Heaton
8901 Tehama Ridge Parkway, Suite 127
PMB 680
Fort Worth, TX 76177

⏰ TIMESTAMPS ⌛️
Click on any blue timestamp to jump to that specific section of the video.

About the channel (0:47)
What is EF? (2:06)
12 Factors of EF (3:55)
Things You Might say if you have EF challenges (12:21)
Strategies for coping with EF challenges (13:17)
Resources (17:39)

💻 LINKS AND RESOURCES 📚

🟠 Executive Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: History, Theoretical Models, Empirical Findings, and Potential as an Endophenotype

🟡 Executive function: what is it, and how do we support it in those with autism? Part I

🟢 Supporting Executive Function in Children With Autism (Part 2)

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I'm Tay, a married mom of 2 who was diagnosed with Autism at 31 years old. This was after YEARS of therapy (and all of the self tests in the world!). My diagnosis has brought up questions, frustration, doubt, but most importantly, a new level of self compassion and understanding.

I'm here to share knowledge, resources, and products that empower other neurodivergents (and their loved ones) to live freely and creatively. I'm not a doctor so please speak with your healthcare providers before implementing any recommendations I make on my channel.

Females are under-diagnosed due to lack of research. Please share any videos that are helpful to you so we can spread awareness and acceptance.

Music by Milky Wayvers ("Mountain")

#autism #autistic #aspergers

[sarahleony]

Executive functioning is, aside from sensory difficulties, my biggest area of struggle. I honestly don’t think I could live entirely on my own without support. I am paralyzed by all I have to do so very often. During my worst years (university) I would take all morning to get ready to leave the house only to then return back home without getting anything done, because I was so exhausted. It sounds absolutely ridiculous. It has been wonderful to have my diagnosis and ”absolve” myself of some of those feelings of guilt, laziness and inadequacy.

[gardengirl]

I have a thing I do that I helps me face the often times overwhelming task of just tidying the house on a daily basis. I've found that if I can begin my day in a non-cluttered environment it makes the rest of the day better. What I've done is break down all the individual tasks into manageable chunks and I've written them all on strips of tagboard. So, for example, instead of writing 'clean the kitchen' I have strips that say, 'kitchen, sink side', 'kitchen, stove side', 'kitchen pantry corner', and 'kitchen, floor'. For the bedroom there are strips labeled 'make the bed', 'bedroom, surfaces', and 'bedroom, floor'. I break each room down into as many tasks as seems reasonable. When it's time to 'do the sticks' (the first time I ever used this system I wrote them on popsicle sticks, thus the name), I draw out one at a time and I complete just that task. All I have to do is the task I've just pulled from the pile. I shuffle the tasks after each use so the order comes up different each time which helps keep my brain engaged. I usually put on a favorite podcast or some upbeat music and before I know it my whole house has been tidied and I can move on, guilt free, to the other more attractive jobs I have assigned for that day. Hope someone else finds this useful!

[cheesebread]

I didn’t realize I had executive functioning challenges until recently I stayed over at a friends house and we were getting ready for bed and when I came out of the bathroom from washing my face and brushing my teeth and hair she said “that was a LONG nighttime routine.” I was like what? Really? It felt like it only took me 10 minutes but actually I was in there for 30! Absolutely wild. I then watched her wash her face, dry it, and do her skincare routine in about 2 minutes flat. It blew me away.

[buttercxpdraws]

5. Time Management - I chuckle as I sit here watching this video when I should have left home 3 hours ago to meet my sister at a shop in another city! 🤦‍♀️

[avrilleepayne]

I believe firmly that the biggest problem that I have is definitely related to organizing and cleaning but yet I can't live with the chaos. Also, my children call what I do Circle cleaning. I will spend a minute or 5 or 10 on one specific task and then move to the next without completing that task and sometimes it takes me weeks to complete the tasks, but then they're all done at one time and everybody is very confused as to how that happened, sometimes including me.

[varvaracoronado]

What helps me a lot is periodic decluttering of my house

[whitneymason]

I too appear organized to many people! I also keep a detailed calendar. Before I had these tools my anxiety around time in particular was paralyzing. I couldn't understand why I couldn't get it together and do basic tasks. Getting my diagnosis and learning about executive functions and how many autistic people have issues with this really helped me become more compassionate towards myself. Great video Taylor this information is so useful!

[andreaharmon]

I have literally been telling myself how I look really organized on the outside. I'm a clean freak and I keep my space clean and organized because I can't function well in a visual mess. Buy my inner side such as cupboards, drawers, closets and mental space is a cluttered, un organized mess. So it's good to know I'm not the only one.

[megan]

This is so relatable! I struggle in every area of executive functioning.

Some examples are:

- working memory: I struggle with writing notes in class when presented verbally by the instructor because I can't hold the information in my brain and write a bunch of half notes. I have to record the classes so I can relisten to them and catch the missed information.

- organization: I have an intrinsic need for organization but cannot seem to stay organized. I'm rather inconsistent but I get so bothered when other people I live with don't put things back where they are ment to be and move things around. I too love lists but also don't follow them lol

- prioritizing: this one is more prevalent now that I have a job working mostly remotely and having to discern what is most important to work on especially while in school because everything is important.

- time management: I struggle with knowing how much time to give myself because I end up taking longer to do things that intended like reading one chapter of my textbook takes about 3 hours whereas others it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. I leave things till last minute but work well under pressure. I get stuck in waiting mode if I have an appointment later in the day and can't get anything done

- emotional regulation: I have a hard time knowing how I feel and will sometimes have meltdowns after social outings if I am too stimulated but won't really realize it in the moment sometimes.

Task initiation: I have a hard time switching from one task to another, I think this related to waiting mode because I don't want to start something like writing a paper then have to leave to a drs app or something. Or I struggle to switch from school mode to work mode at home.

[adrianopper]

Before I self diagnosed as ADHD, and now AuDHD, I was so unkind to myself for all of my EF issues. Now, I know what is going on and can be kinder and develop strategies. I'm also a better mom and teacher. ❤

[sherislaughter]

I can so relate to the working memory and your experience with it. This is the part of my late diagnosed adhd that has been the hardest for me. I’ve always done well in school/college but it seemed like it took so much work…and still does. It has been so confusing to feel smart and dumb at the same time. Not saying this makes us dumb but as a kid that’s how I felt. Finding out I was neurodiverse has helped me “understand” (feel like I “need” to be able to understand everything…a whole other topic)and have more compassion for myself. It can be so frustrating to feel like you’re never actually learning the material because of the struggle to draw from it when you want or need to. I do find it helps to teach, write about, or somehow be involved in what I’m trying to learn. Connecting emotion with it can also be very helpful. I think that’s why it’s a little easier to learn about the things we’re so passionate about. But, even when I feel I know it I still have trouble drawing from it, especially in the spur of the moment. I can write about things I know better than I can verbalize the things I know. …right now I have this need to apologize for going on and on and possibly being annoying. Ugh! Anyone identify with any of this?

[NiinaSKlove]

LOL! When your cat jumped on the piano - and sniffed the plant - my brain was like: Hm. I wonder which plants are pet-friendly? If I were to get a cat, I would have to know that. I have to do research on that! And then I got back to you and realized that I had missed out on some things you said. I rewind the video, and now I am about to watch that segment again. 😂😂 #autisitc

[charissekenkel]

There are definitely not enough resources, help, understanding, or compassion for parents who are autistic . Up until recently I was ableist with myself and my kids who also have autism. I love the information, support, and validation that your channel provides.

[brandywells]

Honestly impressed with the executive function it must take to put out all these great videos! 😍 I had a poor executive function day so this was perfect timing.

For me, getting started and staying focused are much easier when I’m passionate or interested in the task. So maybe incorporating special interests, like listening to a podcast on a topic you love while cleaning, can help with getting hard things done?

Thanks for the awesome content as always, Tay!

[serenaalexander]

I also have the running to do list on my iPhone! I've learned my day often doesn't go to plan because things take less or more time than I thought. Or I get bogged down...or my special interest takes 5 hours later....!

[kerrythurber]

I can relate to fixating on unimportant details until they're done. It's a two-edged sword, because I take pride in perfecting a detail that nobody else got right, but I can see that it hurts me because it places me under a lot of stress to reach the main goal.

[echase]

EF (Executive Function) is also called The Brain’s Manager

[bryanmerton]

Hi Taylor. Really cool video. I have done a lot of reading on executive function but not to this level. Of course I took the test😀! My lowest score was 2 for behavioral regulation. Everything else was 2.5-3. I really have little to no executive function. This has sort of been my struggle throughout my life. I made it through K-12 somehow, but couldn’t cope with college. That being said, I have managed to create tons of hacks and with the dawn of the smart phone life became that much easier. You, by the way, are the only person who gets what a Herculean task brushing ones teeth is🤣! I too manage to do it every day. Despite the fact that I have been living with this for 62 years I still can get frustrated with myself.

Another thing that I find interesting is time management. I have a real problem with the concept of time. I can add most numbers in my head in an instant, yet I have a devil of a time figuring out how long something will take to complete. Also I can’t calculate how much time it will take me to get to work. I am always an hour to an hour and a half early. Thank goodness I am early as I know many with ADHD arrive late for things. I even have to calculate hours to an event on my fingers rather then in my head. I know, weird right?

Thank you for this video. Spent the morning taking tests and reflecting! Very nice.

[autumn]

omg the making a list, doing other things, but still liking making lists is so relatable

[sueannevangalen]

I can relate to SO much of this. My housekeeping skills are terrible. I never was that great and I know what you mean about shoving things into closets and attics because I can't throw them out and don't know what else to do with them. But since we moved to a place with insufficient storage space and had kids, forget it. The place is a junk heap. My floors are especially bad. It just costs me so much energy to pick things up off the floor! I find myself in a sticky little place where the mess stresses me out but I also feel like I never have the time or energy to do anything about it. I really have to reach the absolute end of my rope to go out of my way to pick up after my kids. If I've just had a meltdown, the junk heaps become towers and I hate living here. Is anyone else really struggling hard? I use a planner and a special app on my phone to help with executive dysfunction but they don't always help.