Executive Function is needed to manage the varying aspects of our days, whether we are children, adolescents or adults. It requires working memory (not just memorization, but working memory in order to problem solve), mental flexibility to adjust to the many unexpected "pleasures" of each day and self-control to keep us from slugging our boss or teacher when they correct us. Needless to say, all of these are needed to keep ourselves organized as we go through our days of getting to work or school on time, deciding which bus or highway to get on, identifying which order and how to do our school or work tasks, as well as when and who to play with (social media anyone?), whether to cook dinner or grab fast food and when to turn in for the night.
Those with high ACE scores have greater challenges with executive function both because of the brain changes of lesser prefrontal cortex function and greater amygdala function (like a siren constantly going off in your head) that go with high ACE scores as well as the likelihood of lesser coaching in these areas because of the chaos in the lives of those with higher ACE scores.
Executive Function can be learned at any age, but deliberate attention to it, prioritizing this learning and working with a friend or other to co-mentor and keep each other accountable. Looking forward to your thoughts!
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