executive functioning & a strength-based approach

Nature vs Nurture: 

This is the classic debate—nature vs. nurture. But what if focusing too much on either side actually creates more problems? The real balance lies somewhere in between, where we can embrace both and find the sweet spot that helps us thrive.

Nature: 
This refers to our genetics, our biology. It includes everything we're born with— our DNA, brain structure, and natural tendency to develop certain traits such as our eye color, heart disease or even depression. Essentially, nature is the inherited part of who we are, shaped by biology and evolution.

Nurture: 
These are the environmental factors and experiences that shape who we are. This takes into consideration our upbringing, education, social interactions, culture, and life experiences. Essentially, nurture is the "learned" part of who we are, shaped by the environment and experiences we have throughout life.

Overlap Galore

We often try to neatly separate nature from nurture, but in reality, the two are deeply intertwined. This is exactly why we want to avoid what’s referred to as: circular reasoning.  

Circular reasoning is when we use a conclusion as part of the argument for that conclusion, creating a never-ending loop. This doesn’t offer any new insights or solutions. It just restates the problem without moving forward or considering how to better accommodate our differing needs.

Example: “I have ADHD, therefore I can’t pay attention. And, I can’t pay attention because I have ADHD.”

When we focus solely on our nature, we risk getting stuck in this never-ending loop. This mindset can lead us to accept limitations without considering solutions. 

By understanding our biology (nature), we can better leverage our environment (nurture) to apply accommodations that make our life easier.

Executive Functioning: 

Executive functioning sits at the crossroads of nature and nurture. Our genetics influence how these skills—like planning and inhibition control—develop, but our environment and experiences shape how we manage them. It’s where biology and lived experience work together to determine how we navigate the world.

Executive function includes cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities, including the ability to self-monitor, plan, organize, reason, be mentally flexible, and problem-solve. It guides how people organize their lives, plan, and implement their plans (Dhakal & Bobrin, 2021). 

Like, no biggie, right? We often throw out this term nonchalantly as though it doesn’t cover SO MUCH. By understanding all that “executive functioning” entails - we can start to identify our strengths and our areas of need.

Areas of Executive Functioning

Inhibition Control: The ability to suppress impulses and resist distractions in order to focus.
Example: You're working on a task when a notification pops up on your phone, but you can resist the urge to check it and stay focused on your work.

Working Memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind over short periods.
Example: You're following a recipe and remembering the ingredients and steps in your head while you cook without needing to constantly refer to the instructions.

Cognitive Flexibility: The ability to switch between tasks, adapt to new situations, and think about multiple concepts simultaneously.
Example: You're juggling emails, meetings, and a project when an unexpected issue arises. You quickly adjust your plan and priorities to handle the new task, all while keeping up with your other responsibilities.

Planning and Organization: The ability to set goals, break them down into manageable steps, and structure time and resources effectively to complete tasks.
Example: You plan your day by making a to-do list, breaking down your tasks into smaller steps, and scheduling time blocks to ensure you complete everything.

Self-Monitoring: The capacity to assess and adjust yourself in real-time.
Example: While in a group, you notice that you’re dominating the conversation, and others seem quiet. You recognize this in the moment and adjust by asking open-ended questions to give others a chance to share.

Activation: The ability to begin tasks and generate the mental and physical energy to start and sustain them.
Example: You’ve been putting off grocery shopping all week. Finally, you push through the inertia, and head to the store.

These executive function skills are primarily managed by the frontal lobe, which is the last portion of the brain to fully develop. Naturally, when we're in a stress response (i.e., fight, flight, or freeze), these skills "go offline" as the brain prioritizes our safety over higher-level thinking. 

If you're thinking, "Holy moly, all of these are extremely hard for me." 

#1) please know, you are not alone. 

#2) targeting the cognitive domain and our executive functioning skills is not where we should start. 

When we aren’t in a state of defense, but rather - a state of safety: the brain can more easily access these higher-level cognitive skills. By accommodating ourselves in the other domains, especially the biological and emotion domains, we will likely require much less support in the cognitive domain.

Strength-Based Approach: 

Whether you're neurodivergent or neurotypical, we all have areas of strength and areas of difficulty. As neurodivergent people, we tend to be bottom-up processors—meaning we take in all of the details in our environment then piece them together to create the big picture. This can make our executive functioning less efficient compared to our neurotypical peers who streamline this process by relying on prior knowledge to quickly fill in the gaps.

Unfortunately, many therapies created for neurodivergent people are rooted in the medical model, which is a deficit-based approach focused on us meeting neurotypical standards. But our neurotype isn’t flawed, we aren’t broken—it’s simply a different operating system. 

To better serve us, we need to shift from a deficit-based approach to the neurodiversity model, a strength-based approach. Through the neurodiversity model, we learn to embrace our unique ways of being and to leverage our strengths, to support us in the areas that tend to be more challenging.

The Neurodiversity Wheel 

This is a visual tool that can get us thinking, observing and collecting information on our areas of strength and need. The goal of the wheel is to move away from a deficit-based view of our differences and instead focus on understanding how each area contributes to our unique way of interacting with the world.

It’s a simple, yet powerful way to better understand yourself, embrace your differences, and identify areas where accommodations might be helpful. 

Click the link below and we’ll send it your way! 

click here