People on the autism spectrum may struggle with their executive function. Executive function is the set of skills that helps people get things done, such as the ability to plan, organise and prioritise. Executive function also helps people to be able to stop and start tasks and to remember what has already been done and what needs to be done next.
Being autistic as well as struggling with impaired executive function can mean that day to day activities are overwhelming for those on the spectrum. Many people probably underestimate the true impact that weak executive function can have on ordinary tasks.
Whenever an autistic person uses their executive function ability, they may experience ‘executive function stress.’ Executive function is like a set of cogs. When someone has good executive function, the cogs in the brain turn smoothly. When someone has weak executive function, the cogs are misshapen and don’t turn properly. Then the person has to work very hard and the cogs might get very hot! The person feels worn out from all the ‘executive function stress’.
I wrote a story (‘Going Shopping’) about the sorts of things that happen when The Girl With The Curly Hair goes to the supermarket. I thought it would be an effective way to explain how she experiences ‘executive function stress’:
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