When we complete a comprehensive Neuropsychological Evaluation at Emerge one area we will assess is executive functioning. Executive functions are cognitive tasks performed by the prefrontal cortex that can impact cognitive or emotional functioning. Executive functions include working memory, the ability to plan and organize information, the ability to initiate a task, shift attention and inhibit a particular response. Executive functioning can also involve the ability to have control over one’s emotions and to self-monitor one’s own actions. These processes are important in our day to day lives as we learn, work and socialize with others. Deficits in these functions may occur in the context of a number of different issues. When most people think of deficits in executive functioning they associate this with AD/HD. While most individuals with AD/HD do struggle with one or more of these processes, deficits in executive function also frequently occur in individuals diagnosed with a mood disorder, learning disability, brain injury or Asperger’s Syndrome. Neuropsychological evaluations can be very useful in pinpointing these deficits so that we can understand how best to help individuals improve their functioning. Treatment frequently involves a combination of environmental modification, direct teaching of organization and metacognitive strategies and, in some cases, medication.
© Anna Kroncke, Ph.D., NCSP