Executive Function Flashcards
EF defined
•This is when you turn off autopilot (not the automatic things)
•”The group of complex mental processes and cognitive abilities
•(such as working memory, impulse inhibition, and reasoning)
•that control the skills
•(such as organizing tasks, remembering details, managing time, and solving problems)
•required for goal-directed behavior.”
EF includes…
•Awareness
•Initiation
•Task persistence
•Self-Monitoring
•Organization
•Attention Regulation
•Working Memory
•Behavior Regulation
•Response Inhibition
•Generative thinking
•Flexibility
•Planning
•Higher order reasoning & problem solving
Who presents with executive dysfunction?
•Those with acquired brain injuries
•TBI
•Stroke
•Those with progressive etiologies
•Dementia
•Parkinson’s
•M.S.
•Those with developmental diagnoses
•ADHD
Why are executive functions important for our clients?
•Deficits related to:
•Reduced response to therapy
•Worse outcomes for patients (greater disability, lower community integration, decreased rates of return to work)
•Worse outcomes for caregivers (higher caregiver burden)
EF assessment purpose
•Create a strengths and weaknesses profile
•Identify patient goals
•Guide treatment (remediation, compensation, counseling)
•Identify baseline performance to track progress
Challenges of EF assessment
•The testing environment provides structure that supports executive functions (without distractions likely, unrealistic to real life)
•Only a brief snapshot of behavior
•Tests may not be sensitive to deficits in individuals’ strong premorbid skills
•Motivation may be limited during testing
•Tests may not allow for the use of compensatory strategies
Intervention for executive dysfunction
EF defined
•”The group of complex mental processes and cognitive abilities
•(such as working memory, impulse inhibition, and reasoning)
•that control the skills
•(such as organizing tasks, remembering details, managing time, and solving problems)
•required for goal-directed behavior.”
