What Are the Effects of Impaired Executive Functions?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of Executive FunctionWhat Executive Function InvolvesWhat Happens If Your Executive Function Is Impaired?Other Effects of Executive Function DeficitsWays to Improve Your Executive Function

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Types of Executive Function

What Executive Function Involves

What Happens If Your Executive Function Is Impaired?

Other Effects of Executive Function Deficits

Ways to Improve Your Executive Function

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Executive function is a set of cognitive skills that are needed forself-controland managing behaviors.

These skills include self-control, working memory, and mental flexibility. Such functions allow people to do things like follow directions, focus, control emotions, and attain goals.

The executive functions’ role is similar to a conductor’s role within an orchestra. The conductor manages, directs, organizes, and integrates each member of the orchestra. They cue each musician so they know when to begin to play, and how fast or slow, loud or soft to play, and when to stop playing. Without the conductor, the music would not flow as smoothly or sound as beautiful.

You can think of executive function as the management system of the brain. These mental functions help us organize and manage the many tasks in our daily life.

There are several primary types of executive functions. These functions each play their own important role, but also work in conjunction with one another to monitor and facilitate goal-directed behaviors.

The basic areas of executive function are:

There are also a number of higher-level executive functions that rely on the basic lower-level functions. Some examples of higher-order executive functions includeproblem-solving, reasoning,fluid intelligence, and planning.

Executive functions play an important role in many different areas of life.

Executive Function’s Role in Everyday LifeSome things that you do every day that are dependent on your executive functions include:Analyzing informationBeing able to focus on somethingKeeping track of your behaviorsMaking plansManaging behaviorManaging your timePaying attentionRegulating emotionsRemembering important detailsSeeing things from someone else’s perspectiveSelf-regulationStaying organized

Executive Function’s Role in Everyday Life

Some things that you do every day that are dependent on your executive functions include:Analyzing informationBeing able to focus on somethingKeeping track of your behaviorsMaking plansManaging behaviorManaging your timePaying attentionRegulating emotionsRemembering important detailsSeeing things from someone else’s perspectiveSelf-regulationStaying organized

Some things that you do every day that are dependent on your executive functions include:

The executive functions play a critical role in a person’s ability to function normally. When there are problems with these skills, people may struggle with different areas of life, including school, work, and relationships.

For example, problems with executive function are common when people have ADHD.Declines in executive function are also a feature of dementia and may appear early in its course.

Impairments in executive functions can have a major impact on the ability to perform such tasks as planning, prioritizing, organizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and controlling emotional reactions.

People may experience problems in several key areas, including:

Like an orchestra, each of the executive functions works together in various combinations. When one area is impaired, it affects the others. If a student has deficits in one of these key executive functions, it can obviously interfere with school andacademic performance.

Difficulties with executive functions can affect people in different ways and to differing degrees of severity. Some problems that people may experience if they have executive function deficits include:

People aren’t born with executive function skills. They are something that develops as the brain grows. Such skills continue to develop and mature well into a person’s teens and twenties.

Many people find it empowering to understand why they are struggling with their relationships, work, or school. Others feel sad or angry that they struggle with tasks that other people seem to do effortlessly.

The good news is there are things that you can do to improve your executive functioning and manage weaknesses that you have. Strategies that can help include:

Another thing that you can do is find ways to manage your stress levels. Stress can have a detrimental impact on executive functioning,so look forstress relief activitiesthat work for you.

Request Accommodations

If you have a diagnosed condition such as ADHD, you can also request accommodations at school and work that can help. Accommodations are designed to support you in the specific areas where you struggle.

A few examples of accommodations include a reduced amount of homework (e.g., if the class is asked to do 20 math problems, you would be asked to do 10), extra time taking tests, help with reading assignments, permission to record lectures, and help with class notes.

Speak to Your Child’s Teacher

What Is Educational Psychology?

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Otterman DL, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, White TJ, Tiemeier H, Bolhuis K, Jansen PW.Executive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood: A prospective population-based study.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2019;13:38. doi:10.1186/s13034-019-0299-7Guarino A, Favieri F, Boncompagni I, Agostini F, Cantone M, Casagrande M.Executive functions in Alzheimer disease: A systematic review.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;10:437. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00437Langberg JM, Dvorsky MR, Evans SW.What specific facets of executive function are associated with academic functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013;41(7):1145-1159. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9750-zVolkow ND, Swanson JM.Adult attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.N Engl J Med. 2013;369(20):1935-1944. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1212625Suades-González E, Forns J, García-Esteban R, et al.A longitudinal study on attention development in primary school children with and without teacher-reported symptoms of ADHD.Front Psychol. 2017;8:655. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00655Hirsch O, Chavanon ML, Christiansen H.Emotional dysregulation subgroups in patients with adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A cluster analytic approach.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5639. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42018-yBunford N, Evans SW, Becker SP, Langberg JM.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social skills in youth: A moderated mediation model of emotion dysregulation and depression.J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2015;43(2):283-296. doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9909-2Shields GS, Sazma MA, Yonelinas AP.The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016;68:651-668. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038Additional ReadingBrown TE.A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2013.Nugent K, Smart W.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in postsecondary students.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:1781-1791. doi:10.2147/NDT.S64136

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Otterman DL, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, White TJ, Tiemeier H, Bolhuis K, Jansen PW.Executive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood: A prospective population-based study.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2019;13:38. doi:10.1186/s13034-019-0299-7Guarino A, Favieri F, Boncompagni I, Agostini F, Cantone M, Casagrande M.Executive functions in Alzheimer disease: A systematic review.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;10:437. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00437Langberg JM, Dvorsky MR, Evans SW.What specific facets of executive function are associated with academic functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013;41(7):1145-1159. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9750-zVolkow ND, Swanson JM.Adult attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.N Engl J Med. 2013;369(20):1935-1944. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1212625Suades-González E, Forns J, García-Esteban R, et al.A longitudinal study on attention development in primary school children with and without teacher-reported symptoms of ADHD.Front Psychol. 2017;8:655. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00655Hirsch O, Chavanon ML, Christiansen H.Emotional dysregulation subgroups in patients with adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A cluster analytic approach.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5639. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42018-yBunford N, Evans SW, Becker SP, Langberg JM.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social skills in youth: A moderated mediation model of emotion dysregulation and depression.J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2015;43(2):283-296. doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9909-2Shields GS, Sazma MA, Yonelinas AP.The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016;68:651-668. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038Additional ReadingBrown TE.A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2013.Nugent K, Smart W.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in postsecondary students.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:1781-1791. doi:10.2147/NDT.S64136

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Otterman DL, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, White TJ, Tiemeier H, Bolhuis K, Jansen PW.Executive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood: A prospective population-based study.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2019;13:38. doi:10.1186/s13034-019-0299-7Guarino A, Favieri F, Boncompagni I, Agostini F, Cantone M, Casagrande M.Executive functions in Alzheimer disease: A systematic review.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;10:437. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00437Langberg JM, Dvorsky MR, Evans SW.What specific facets of executive function are associated with academic functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013;41(7):1145-1159. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9750-zVolkow ND, Swanson JM.Adult attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.N Engl J Med. 2013;369(20):1935-1944. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1212625Suades-González E, Forns J, García-Esteban R, et al.A longitudinal study on attention development in primary school children with and without teacher-reported symptoms of ADHD.Front Psychol. 2017;8:655. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00655Hirsch O, Chavanon ML, Christiansen H.Emotional dysregulation subgroups in patients with adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A cluster analytic approach.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5639. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42018-yBunford N, Evans SW, Becker SP, Langberg JM.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social skills in youth: A moderated mediation model of emotion dysregulation and depression.J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2015;43(2):283-296. doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9909-2Shields GS, Sazma MA, Yonelinas AP.The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016;68:651-668. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038

Otterman DL, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, White TJ, Tiemeier H, Bolhuis K, Jansen PW.Executive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood: A prospective population-based study.Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2019;13:38. doi:10.1186/s13034-019-0299-7

Guarino A, Favieri F, Boncompagni I, Agostini F, Cantone M, Casagrande M.Executive functions in Alzheimer disease: A systematic review.Front Aging Neurosci. 2019;10:437. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00437

Langberg JM, Dvorsky MR, Evans SW.What specific facets of executive function are associated with academic functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013;41(7):1145-1159. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9750-z

Volkow ND, Swanson JM.Adult attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.N Engl J Med. 2013;369(20):1935-1944. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1212625

Suades-González E, Forns J, García-Esteban R, et al.A longitudinal study on attention development in primary school children with and without teacher-reported symptoms of ADHD.Front Psychol. 2017;8:655. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00655

Hirsch O, Chavanon ML, Christiansen H.Emotional dysregulation subgroups in patients with adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A cluster analytic approach.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5639. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42018-y

Bunford N, Evans SW, Becker SP, Langberg JM.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social skills in youth: A moderated mediation model of emotion dysregulation and depression.J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2015;43(2):283-296. doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9909-2

Shields GS, Sazma MA, Yonelinas AP.The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016;68:651-668. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038

Brown TE.A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2013.Nugent K, Smart W.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in postsecondary students.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:1781-1791. doi:10.2147/NDT.S64136

Brown TE.A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2013.

Nugent K, Smart W.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in postsecondary students.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:1781-1791. doi:10.2147/NDT.S64136

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