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Here are simple, easy-to-follow explanations of ADHD and executive function terms. Come back anytime you need a quick refresher or a deeper understanding.
A neurodevelopmental condition involving patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity that interfere with daily life and development.
The most frequent ADHD presentation, with significant symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity (6+ symptoms each) that impair daily functioning.
Primarily shows hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (6+ like fidgeting, interrupting, restlessness) with minimal inattention
Primarily shows inattention symptoms (6+ like poor focus, disorganization, forgetfulness) without marked hyperactivity/impulsivity
Difficulties with the mental “management” skills that control behavior, emotions, and thinking, such as planning, organizing, starting tasks, and self‑monitoring.
Difficulty sustaining focus, following through on tasks, organizing activities, and resisting distraction, often showing up as “spacing out” or being forgetful in daily routines.
Excessive movement or restlessness relative to context, such as fidgeting, feeling “driven by a motor,” or needing to move even in situations that call for stillness.
Acting or speaking quickly without considering consequences, including interrupting or making sudden decisions.
Intense, sustained focus on highly interesting activities, often losing track of time or responsibilities.
The view that brain differences like ADHD are natural variations in human neurology, not simply deficits, with related strengths and challenges
A set of mental skills that act as the brain’s manager, helping you plan, focus, remember instructions, regulate emotions, and juggle multiple tasks.
A descriptive term (not a formal diagnosis) for significant, ongoing difficulties in executive skills such as planning, organizing, time management, and impulse control, which can appear in ADHD and other conditions.
More cognitive, non‑emotional skills like working memory, planning, and problem‑solving, often linked with attention and organization.
Emotion‑ and motivation‑related skills like reward sensitivity, delay of gratification, and inhibition when feelings are high, often linked with hyperactivity and impulsivity.
A memory strategy that groups small bits of information into larger, meaningful “chunks” (like phone numbers as 3-3-4) to make working memory more efficient
The ability to shift perspective, adapt to changes, and try different approaches when plans or rules change.
Staying with a goal over time, despite distractions, obstacles, or fluctuating motivation.
The ability to pause before acting or speaking, resist impulses, and ignore distractions
Keeping track of information, belongings, and tasks in a structured way, including both physical spaces and mental systems.
The skill of setting goals, breaking them into steps, and deciding what matters most and what to do first.
Noticing what you are doing, how it is going, and whether you need to adjust your behavior or strategy.
The ability to start tasks in a timely way, especially boring, complex, or overwhelming ones, rather than getting stuck in procrastination.
Estimating how long things will take, noticing the passage of time, pacing work, and meeting deadlines.
The ability to hold and use information in mind over short periods, like remembering multi‑step directions or what you were about to do next.
Managing alertness and energy levels; in ADHD this can show up as under‑arousal (boredom, drowsiness) or over‑arousal (restlessness).
A strong discomfort with waiting for rewards or outcomes, leading to preference for immediate, smaller rewards over larger, delayed ones.
Frequent or intense emotional reactions, difficulty calming down, and trouble matching emotional responses to the situation.
Acting immediately on feelings (e.g., snapping, sending reactive messages, quitting suddenly) without a pause to think.
The ability to manage and modulate emotional responses so they do not derail behavior, relationships, or tasks.
Difficulty initiating or persisting in tasks that are not immediately interesting or rewarding, even when the person cares about the outcome.
Intense emotional pain in response to perceived rejection or criticism.
Shifting focus between tasks or tracking multiple things at once, like listening while taking notes.
How quickly a person can take in, understand, and respond to information; in ADHD this is often slower or more variable.
Focusing on one thing while filtering out competing stimuli or distractions.
Staying focused on a task or activity over time, especially when it is not inherently stimulating.
Difficulty sensing time passing, estimating durations, or “feeling” future consequences, leading to chronic lateness, underestimating tasks, or last‑minute rushing.
ensing time passing or estimating durations.
Using another person’s presence (in‑person or virtual) to help start and stay on tasks through shared work time or co‑working sessions.
Deliberate methods used to work around executive function difficulties, such as using timers, checklists, external reminders, or body‑doubling.
How your brain takes in new information and turns it into something it can store for later
How your brain locks in a new memory so it becomes stable and long‑lasting instead of fading away.
Hiding ADHD traits and copying neurotypical behaviors
Being able to produce work (writing, reports, homework) at a rate that matches one’s knowledge and abilities.
Coordinating thoughts, emotions, and actions to meet long‑term goals, especially when short‑term impulses compete.
Relates to processing input from the five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste); many with ADHD are hypersensitive or seek extra sensory input
Breaking a complex task into smaller, concrete steps so it is easier to start and complete. tasks into smaller steps.
How the brain receives, organizes, and responds to sensory input from body and environment; often dysregulated in ADHD.
Actively dodging sensory input (covering ears, avoiding tags, hating crowded places, food texture issues)
Actively craving more sensory input (crashing into things, loud chewing, tight clothes, constant movement) to feel regulated
When too much sensory input floods the system, causing shutdown, meltdowns, irritability, or escape behaviors
Repetitive movements or sounds (e.g., tapping, rocking, fidgeting, humming) used to regulate sensory input, emotions, or focus; common in ADHD and autism
“Internal body sense.” Detecting hunger, thirst, bathroom needs, heartbeat, emotions. Weak interoception = missing hunger cues, ignoring fatigue, emotional confusion.
“Body position sense.” Knowing where your arms/legs are without looking. Poor proprioception = clumsiness, bumping into things, heavy-footed walking
Balance/movement sense (inner ear)—controls spatial orientation and coordination. Issues cause motion sickness, spinning cravings, and poor balance.
The requirement that ADHD‑related difficulties appear in more than one area (e.g., home and work) to support a diagnosis.
When ADHD occurs alongside other conditions such as anxiety, depression, learning disorders, or autism, it can interact with executive function.
The real‑world impact of symptoms on functioning at school, work, home, or in relationships.
An approach that acknowledges both challenges and potential strengths associated with ADHD, such as creativity, hyperfocus on interests, and non‑linear thinking.
Neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine function differently in ADHD brains, affecting motivation, focus, and impulse control.
The “motivation/reward chemical.” In ADHD, dopamine signaling is often weaker, making boring tasks feel unrewarding and reducing the drive to start or finish them.
Made from dopamine; the “focus/alertness chemical.” Controls attention, arousal, and working memory. ADHD brains often have lower norepinephrine transmission, especially in the prefrontal cortex.
Less central but involved in mood regulation and impulse control. Some research links serotonin imbalances to ADHD emotional dysregulation
Key regions showing altered size, connectivity, or activity patterns in ADHD brains.
The “brain’s CEO” for executive functions—planning, inhibition, working memory, and emotional control. Smaller/more immature in ADHD.
The brain’s emotional center (amygdala, hippocampus, cingulate) handling emotions, memory, motivation. In ADHD, shows reduced volume, poor white matter connectivity, and overactivity, contributing to rejection sensitivity, mood swings, and low drive.
Movement/habit center. Helps start/stop actions and filter distractions. Reduced volume linked to hyperactivity and fidgeting.
Error detection, motivation switching, emotional regulation. Overactive in ADHD, causing excessive worry about mistakes.
Timing/coordination center. Helps with smooth movement and time perception. Smaller in ADHD, linked to “time blindness.”
Seeking stimulating activities for dopamine/novelty (like scrolling, games, or new projects)
A metaphor originally from chronic illness communities that imagines daily energy as a limited number of “spoons”; each task uses spoons, and people with ADHD or other conditions may have fewer spoons or spend them faster, especially on executive‑function‑heavy tasks
Playful term for sudden distraction by something interesting
Feeling mentally “frozen” and unable to start tasks.
