Executive Functioning Differences, Not Deficits

Viewing neurodivergent individuals as having executive functioning deficits is incompatible with neurodiversity.

Consider this.

One particular executive functioning skill is working memory — the ability to hold different information in your head so you can remember things in order to get shit done like remembering the steps of a task or instructions you were told twenty minutes ago or what groceries to get off the top of your head.

You’ve got people who can remember every single step after they’ve read it.

You’ve got people who have trouble who can’t remember grocery lists unless it’s written down.

You’ve got people who have a working memory that’s quite fast so they can recall things quickly.

You’ve got people who have a working memory that needs more time to remember things.

Do some of them have working memory deficits or do all of them have a different working memory because every individual is different?

Let’s apply this to paying attention which is another executive functioning skill.

You’ve got some people who can pay attention for a long period of time and you’ve got some people who can only pay attention for a short period of time.

You’ve got some people who can switch their attention to another task super easily and you’ve got some people who find it difficult to switch their attention to another task.

Do some of them have attention deficits or do all of them pay attention differently?

This is neurodiversity — the idea that every single brain is different so if every single brain is different, there can be no “normal” brain.

If there is no such thing as a normal brain, we cannot have deficits because a deficit implies we are lacking something but if every brain is different and neurotypical folks aren’t the ideal brain, we can’t be lacking.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying we don’t experience disability, difficulties, struggles or challenges due to our executive functioning differences.

I’m just saying we do not have deficits because neurotypical people are not the benchmark for how people should function.