The brain is a mysterious organ. The interaction between its complex design and the way that neurodivergence manifests itself in everyday actions is fascinating. Last week, we wrote an article about how brain development in children is affected by autism spectrum disorder. In this article, we will focus on the way that everyday executive functioning is impaired (and enhanced) by the presence of ASD. By its definition, executive functioning refers to the set of cognitive processes that enable one to plan, focus, organize, manage their time, and regulate their emotions. In children with autism, challenges with executive functioning can be visibly prevalent. As a result, there can be a significant impact on their learning, daily life, and social interactions. At Monarch House we have a professional, interdisciplinary staff of occupational therapists, behavioural therapists, psychotherapists, and speech pathologists that are here to help children with autism in Toronto with these issues.

Here are ten ways autism can affect executive functioning.

1. Difficulty With Planning And Organization
   Learning how to make a To Do list can go a long way towards being organized throughout your day. Children with autism may struggle to plan and organize tasks, from completing homework to preparing for a simple outing. This leads to problems with their sense of independence and autonomy. Not only that, it can lead to frustration and an over-reliance on parents and caregivers for help in structuring their day. Making a list a daily habit can be enormously beneficial. 

2. Challenges With Task Initiation
   Getting started is often the biggest single obstacle when faced with a larger and more complex goal. For children with autism, Initiating tasks, especially unfamiliar or complicated ones, can be overwhelming at first. It’s not uncommon to see a child procrastinate or avoid activities due to uncertainty about how to begin, even if they are interested in the task. At Monarch House, we can teach your child some techniques to put everything else aside and get going. 

3. Trouble With Prioritization
   We’ve written before about some ways that we can help your child with establishing an order of operations for which tasks they should do and in what sequence. For children with autism, prioritizing tasks is often difficult. A neurodivergent child may focus intensely on less important details while overlooking more pressing aspects of a project or activity. We can show them how to organize the necessary steps in the most efficient manner. 

4. Impaired Working Memory
   One of the big components of executive functioning is the concept of working memory. In most humans, working memory is our ability to hold and manipulate information in our minds. This is sometimes a challenge for children with autism. For instance, a child with ASD may have some difficulty following multi-step instructions or remembering verbal directions in a complex plan. At Monarch House, we can help your child with their cognitive development as they grow. 

5. Inflexibility And Difficulty Adapting
   Do you find that your child likes to play with the same toys over and over again? Are they drawn to certain rituals around the home, which they perform in exactly the same way, every day? Cognitive rigidity is common in children with autism. This fixed thinking makes it hard for them to adapt when plans change or when problem-solving requires flexibility. At Monarch House, we work with your child to identify more available choices in stressful scenarios. This helps them mitigate distress and frustration in unpredictable situations.

6. Struggles with Time Management
   We make use of timers, both auditory and visual, as well stopwatches and clocks to help children have a better grasp on time. It’s not uncommon for children with autism to have challenges understanding and managing time effectively. For instance, a child with autism may underestimate how long a task will take or have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another. These are things we actively work on at Monarch House.

7. Emotional Regulation Issues
   Knowing how to count to ten in a heated moment is a skill that even most adults could use some practice with. It’s just one of the many techniques we use when we teach children with autism how to manage stressful scenarios and unwanted emotions. On a biological level, executive functioning plays a key role in regulating emotions. For this reason, children with autism may find it difficult to manage frustration, anxiety, or disappointment, which can lead to meltdowns or withdrawal.

8. Challenges With Self-Monitoring
   Do you have an internal monologue that keeps you on the right track throughout the day? Not everyone does this. At Monarch House, we can help children learn how to systematically observe their own behaviour to adjust as they go. This is called self-monitoring. The process involves mindfully assessing one’s own performance and actions from one step to the next. Children with autism often have difficulty recognizing when they need to correct mistakes or adjust their approach to a task. Our therapists can help your child with challenges in this area.

9. Trouble With Multi-Tasking
   You may be able to fill out a form from school, while cooking dinner, while setting up a dentist appointment for another child, all at the same time. Multi-tasking in this way is a learned behaviour from a conditioned frontal cortex. For most children with autism, however, performing multiple tasks simultaneously can be overwhelming. It’s not uncommon for them to have problems with distractions, which causes them to lose focus. They might also struggle to switch between tasks. One of the skill sets we work on with our therapists at Monarch House is the ability to learn how to be more cognitively nimble, and able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. 

10. Impaired Goal-Setting Skills
    We can help your child learn how to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. Setting and achieving goals can be challenging for children with autism. Often, they may find it difficult to have a long-term objective and know how to reach it through bite-sized, achievable steps. This affects their motivation to accomplish their goals. We can help your child come to terms with this process so they will be less frustrated and more successful in their daily living. 

At Monarch House, we believe that it is important to support executive functioning in children with autism as their brains grow and develop. However, no two children are alike, so addressing these challenges requires a customized one-on-one approach. For each child, we work on these issues outlined above with tools such as visual schedules, checklists, and timers. We find that these preparations can help your child with planning and time management. At our clinics, we have the options of both occupational therapy and behavioural interventions to further support the development of executive functioning skills. We believe in a holistic approach, so we work together with caregivers, educators, and our therapists to foster growth in these areas. By specifically addressing executive functioning challenges, children with autism in Toronto can build confidence and improve their ability to navigate daily events, enhancing their independence and quality of life.