Did you know there are side effects of every medication, including those used for ADHD?
People with ADHD, as well as those with autism, OCD, depression, trauma, or dementia, are among some of the more common diagnoses of people who struggle with executive function (EF). However, whenever there is ANY change to the brain, such as changes caused by reduced sleep, change in diet, stress, neurotoxins, concussion, etc, the skills of executive function (EF) are the first to go.
According to “Understanding Executive Functions: Focus, Emotional Control, Motivation and Social Intelligence” (Moss, M., Ph.D.), the skills of EF fall into five domains:
- Set Maintenance — the ability to focus attention on a particular problem/situation and stick to it, staying on track through its completion
- Set Shifting — the ability to recognize that the strategy you’re using isn’t working and switch to another strategy that may
- Abstraction — the ability to understand connections beyond concrete realities, to categorize input and carefully select or extract from common elements
- Cognitive Tracking — the ability to keep at what you’re doing while monitoring progress with the use of working memory
- Response Suppression — the ability to slow down or stop a behavior or action.
Sometimes medications are exactly “the miracle” a child needs to survive (and have the chance to even thrive!) in school. However, it’s important to know that all medications have side effects. Ritalin and Concerta, medications often prescribed to those with ADHD, literally change the reward system of the person’s brain and set them up for likely addiction down the road!
There are other ways to support people with weaknesses in EF. Occupational therapists help leverage the strengths of each person’s unique brain and build the skills that are needed to do the things they want or need to do, in everyday life.
Is this easier to do when the person’s medicated? Maybe. Is it possible to do when the person’s not? Absolutely.