Planning, Organisation, Working Memory & Self-Management
Executive Functioning Assessment
Executive functions help a person begin tasks, hold goals in mind, shift approach, regulate responses, organise information and monitor progress.
A meaningful assessment combines everyday examples with relevant measures and context. No single questionnaire or performance task captures functioning in every setting.
Everyday-function focus
Child and adult questions
Multi-source information
Practical recommendations
ADHD and learning links
This pathway may be useful for
The service should be described around the person’s referral question and functional needs, not around an assumed diagnosis or fixed package.
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Difficulty starting, sequencing or completing tasks
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Inconsistency between structured and unstructured settings
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Frequent loss of instructions, materials or deadlines
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Questions about ADHD, autism, learning, mood or sleep contributions
What this pathway can help clarify
Use this section to state the questions the service may help answer. Keep the language proportionate: assessment contributes evidence and interpretation; support translates goals into practical work.
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Task initiation, planning, organisation and monitoring patterns
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Working-memory, inhibition and flexibility where assessed
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Why testing and daily ratings may differ
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Which environmental and practical supports may help
How the pathway usually works
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Identify the settings and tasks that break down.
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Gather history and collateral examples with consent.
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Select relevant cognitive, attention, executive or symptom measures.
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Consider emotional, sleep, medical, sensory and environmental factors.
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Translate findings into specific systems and recommendations.
What this service does not promise
Executive-function difficulty is not a diagnosis by itself and may occur with ADHD, autism, learning, mood, trauma, sleep, pain or overload.
FAQs
Is executive dysfunction the same as ADHD?
No. It is common in ADHD but has many possible contributors.
Can one questionnaire diagnose it?
No. Ratings require context and integration.
Why can testing look average while daily life is hard?
Structured testing reduces real-world demands and distractions.
Can support start without assessment?
Potentially, where goals and clinical suitability are clear.