EXECUTIVE FUNCTION is the ability to get stuff done.  It is not the same thing as intelligence or talent.  In fact, many brilliant people struggle with executive function.  Have you ever finished a project but didn’t turn it in?  Would you have nailed the audition except you couldn’t find your keys when it was time to go?  Could you have fixed your friends computer if the room had not been so bright and loud?  Did you add everything correctly, but you put the decimal in the wrong place?  When you struggle with executive function, something always seems to get in the way of what you really want to accomplish.

People with poor executive function sometimes also struggle with ADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS.  Adaptive behaviors are behaviors that we perform to make us healthy or help us to get along with other people.  Examples of adaptive behaviors include brushing teeth, getting dressed, and having a conversation with a friend.

Every person has a certain amount of energy available for use each day.  Some people naturally have a lot of energy, some people have a little.  There are things we can do to create or burn energy, but no one has an infinite supply.  For someone who has poor executive function or struggles to perform adaptive behaviors, tasks that may seem small can actually require large amounts of energy and can leave the person feeling depleted or anxious and unable to accomplish the things they really want or need. 

An EXECUTIVE FUNCTION COACH can help you create strategies to get things done.  In choosing a coach, it is important to select someone who can understand the way your mind works so that together you can build a personalized system that works for you.  Generally, it is preferable to change the environment to suit the person, rather than attempt to change the person’s brain to suit the environment.