Managing the ADHD "Executive Functioning" Fuel Tank

One of my favourite articles that explains ADHD, is an article called 'ADHD and Executive Functioning', written by Russell Barkley. This article was published in the August 2014 issue of CHADD's Attention Magazine.  Executive functioning is defined as "self-directed actions needed to sustain problem solving towards a goal".  Or in other words, executive functioning skills are the brain-based skills we use to control our own behaviour.  These executive functioning skills are needed to help us to use self-regulation, or in other words, stop, think about our choices, and make choices based on what our goal is.  In the article, Barkley described how ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is actually more of a SRDD (Self-Regulation Deficit Disorder).  Anyone who knows someone well with ADHD knows that ADHDers can usually focus very well on the activities that they love doing, maybe even better than others.  What is hard for them is having the self-control to stop focusing on that favourite task, to switch to something else, especially when that something else is more boring to them.

Thinking about ADHD in this way can be very helpful for finding ways to manage the ADHD frustrations that can pop up every day.  Barkley described people with ADHD as having a more limited "executive functioning (EF) fuel tank", which I think is a very helpful analogy.  So when a person with ADHD is faced with an EF heavy task, such as cleaning a room, they have to use a lot of effort, which often leads to frustrations.  Using executive functioning strategies that can "externalize" the information used by the "EF tank", such as checklists, visual timers and immediate rewards, can help to reduce the drain on the "EF tank". Also, regular use of strategies that can boost the "EF tank", such as regular exercise and breaks, can also be very helpful.  So when we are finding ways to manage ADHD, the trick can be to make sure to use EF fuel-saving strategies, and also take regular breaks so the tank stays full. No one likes being stranded on the side of the road with an empty tank, especially when there is still very far to go.

Barkley, R. (2014). ADHD and Executive Functioning. Attention Magazine, July, pg. 8-11.