By Kaila Minick and Rachel Z. Roth, M.Ed.
Parenting can often feel like navigating through a maze, especially when it comes to understanding how our children think, learn, and interact with the world around them. For parents, supporting children with unique learning and developmental needs can feel overwhelming. In this article, we take a deep dive into the fascinating science of neurodiversity and executive functioning, offering insights into why children with learning challenges like Autism and ADHD, as well as other conditions, may struggle with tasks like organizing, focusing, planning, time management, and regulating emotions. By understanding the basics of how our brains work, and how a neurodiverse brain is wired, we can better support our children academically and emotionally, through strategies that meet their unique learning and behavioral needs.
The human brain is an incredibly complex system. Like any biological system, there is naturally some variability between different brains. Each person has a unique mix of genes, environmental influences, and life experiences that affect how their brain develops and functions. This, in turn, determines how they think, process information, learn, communicate, and behave.
Neurodiversity
When a person’s cognitive function and behaviors generally line up with what is considered “typical” or “average” within their social context, they are called “neurotypical”. When someone’s cognition or behaviors fall outside of these socially constructed norms, they are considered “neurodivergent”. It’s important to remember, however, that neurodiversity overall is a spectrum, not a set of mutually exclusive boxes or labels. Each person can have a variety of cognitive abilities with their own strengths and areas for growth.
With all this in mind, let’s consider some cognitive variations that can lead to clinical diagnoses when the person’s functioning is significantly different from or falls outside of “the norm.” Some of the more common neurodivergent conditions are:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Specific Learning Disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Tourette Syndrome
- Down Syndrome
While each of these disorders in and of itself can be challenging, it is not uncommon for individuals with one neurological condition to have one or more other conditions as well. For example, many individuals with ADHD also have an ASD diagnosis. Individuals with ASD very often also have Sensory Processing Disorder. When dealing with the complexity of comorbid disorders, this can complicate what type of support or intervention would be the best fit for that individual.
These and other conditions can affect how people think, learn, process sensory information and emotions, regulate their behaviors, and communicate with others, among many other aspects of cognition and behavior. Sometimes, these differences can lead to the person having significant challenges with executive functioning tasks, social interactions, and/or daily functioning.
Executive Functions
Many people with neurodivergent conditions struggle with a subset of skills often referred to as executive functions. These functions, which are housed in the prefrontal cortex, are high-level cognitive processes that enable someone to direct and focus their attention, organize their thoughts and resources, and work towards goals.
Executive functions include:
- Attention and focus
- Working memory
- Organization
- Planning and prioritization
- Task initiation
- Time management
- Cognitive flexibility
- Impulse control
- Emotional regulation
- Self-monitoring
The Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is located right behind the forehead, is the last part of the brain to fully develop in individuals. It is often not fully functioning until our mid to late twenties. In people with neurological disorders, the PFC’s maturity may be delayed by several years, which can further contribute to challenges with executive functioning.
Important regions of the brain
The PFC is also highly connected to other regions of the brain, such as those that regulate emotions, long-term memory, sensory input, physical movement, and decision-making. These connections are crucial to the PFC’s functioning and influence our ability to regulate and oversee our executive functions. This is particularly relevant when thinking about teenagers, their volatility of emotions, and the influx of hormones raging through their bodies. When the body goes through significant developmental events like puberty, hormonal changes can affect a wide variety of brain regions and thus influence the PFC’s executive function abilities.
For example, the amygdala is the emotional center of the brain, and it undergoes significant growth during puberty due to the influx of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. While it is maturing, teenagers may experience mood swings and more intense feelings. The amygdala is highly connected to the PFC, but since neither of these brain regions are fully matured in the teenage years, the PFC may not consistently keep the amygdala’s emotional impulses in check. As such, teenagers are more likely to act rashly, engage in risky behaviors, or act out in other socially inappropriate ways.
Neurodiversity and Executive Functioning
One key concept to understand about the brain is that how we think, feel, and act is a result of our brain cells, called neurons, communicating with one another. On a cellular level, our neurons “talk” to each other by sending out chemical signals called neurotransmitters across tiny gaps between neurons. Variations in neurotransmitter levels can affect how well our neurons communicate and thus determine how well our brain functions.
Studies on people with ADHD have shown that they tend to have low levels of two neurotransmitters called dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine is related to the feeling of reward, and low levels of dopamine can negatively affect one’s mood and motivation. Norepinephrine is an important neurotransmitter in the PFC in particular, and poor communication between neurons using this neurotransmitter can make it harder for someone to maintain focus, ignore distractions, and retain information. Stimulants are a common treatment for ADHD because they help increase the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. This makes it easier for someone with ADHD to utilize their executive functions effectively.
Connections within and between different brain regions can also significantly affect cognitive abilities like attention and task switching. Brain scans of people with autism have shown that they tend to have more short neural connections within local brain regions and fewer long connections between distant parts of the brain. These differences may explain why many people with autism tend to be attentive to details and focused on particular topics but may have a hard time shifting between tasks or ways of thinking.
Scientists are still researching the biological causes of neurodivergent conditions like ADHD and autism, and more data will help us understand these conditions better and make more informed treatment recommendations. The main takeaway is to understand that these conditions arise because of how the brain is wired and how it works on a neurological level.
Overall, it’s important to be aware that everyone’s brain is unique, and some people’s brains may produce different amounts of neurotransmitters, have differing strengths of connections within and between regions, and thus may have variable abilities to perform key cognitive tasks such as executive functions. Fundamentally, if someone has challenges with organization, planning, time management, emotional regulation, or other similar skills, it’s likely due to how their brain is wired and the chemicals that it produces.
Fortunately, there are ways to influence the levels of neurotransmitters in one’s brain through medications, diet, and exercise. The brain is quite malleable and “plastic;” new neuronal connections can be made by learning new skills, and pathways can be strengthened by practicing these skills and developing habits.
It’s important to have empathy for those whose brains function differently than yours. Similarly, try to give yourself grace when your own brain doesn’t operate the way you want or expect it to. We can identify our strengths and areas for growth and work with those, instead of against them.
Using Our Understanding of Neuroscience to Support Neurodiverse Students.
Parenting an adolescent can be challenging enough without the added frustration of additional challenges that make finding the right way to support your child more time-consuming and anxiety-inducing. So many times, parents come to us worried about their child’s behavior, learning skills, and perceptions about what is going on with their child, without factoring in neurological challenges like ADHD or ASD that complicate their ability to develop and retain new skills. Additionally, when a child is struggling with implementing executive functioning skills, we have to remember that their brains are still developing and their prefrontal cortex is still learning how to manage the cognitive load and mental demand being placed on them.
We often hear things like:
- “She’s just lazy.”
- “He doesn’t try hard enough.”
- “Nothing seems to motivate them to improve.”
- “I’m at my wit’s end, I don’t know what to do.”
The reality though is that it’s more often the case that a parent may not understand how their child’s brain is wired or how to support a brain that is wired differently than their own.
Based on the research done, we know that neurodiverse brains are, in fact, wired differently. For people with those types of brains, it’s fundamentally important to acquire new skills and strategies that allow them to rewire and retrain their brains based on their individual and unique learning. Neuroscience tells us that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to brain development and growth. We also know that the influx of hormones that teens experience once they hit puberty contributes to brain fog, poor retention of information, and the overall ability to develop new skills without repetition or multi-sensory exposure to new skills and strategies. Therefore, it is important for parents to understand and accept that their child is most likely wired differently and needs to learn and acquire new skills in ways that work best for their brain.
As professionals who work with children in the K-12 age range, we like to partner with parents and teachers to help them learn the best way to foster and encourage new connections and skill acquisition. To help in this process, we need to remember the following:
- Our brains are not fully developed until our mid to late twenties.
- We know that when the amygdala is activated due to high stress levels, it is harder for us to retain new knowledge.
- While our brains are “plastic” and can learn new skills throughout our lives, the older we are, the harder it can be for us to create those new connections.
- Our children often respond to our emotions. If we model calm emotions in how we respond to their “big emotions,” we are setting them up for success and better coping skill development.
Here are some tips for parents that account for what we’ve learned about neuroscience, learning, and the development of executive functioning skills:
- Encourage your child to have good stress management and to have a set of coping skills that work for them.
- Model patience and empathy for a learning path that may be different from your own.
- Show your child how you respond to “mistakes” and “failure”; model that mistakes are part of the learning process.
- Remember that their brains are still “under construction,” and they will need your help and support as they navigate forward on their own journey.
- Encourage them to ask for help and support when they need it.
- Mental health and academics are equally important. When faced with a choice, prioritize mental health over work, so they learn to find a healthy balance.
In summary, it’s important to know that every brain is different, so learning how your child learns can go a long way toward supporting them and helping them be successful.
At Mind by Design in Campbell, CA, we specialize in helping children and families with personalized and holistic support – from executive function coaching to educational evaluations – so every child can thrive. If you have questions or concerns about your child, we’d love to help and support your family.
