Executive Dysfunction: A Feature of Many Conditions
Usually when executive dysfunction (EDF) is discussed online, it’s usually in reference to ADHD, autism or sometimes brain injury. However, many conditions beyond these have notable, and even significant, EDF components.
In fact, one reason Executive Dysfunction Research & Advocacy was started was to try to bring together those who deal with EDF across many different diagnoses. So, its only right that we make a list to “shout out” all those conditions which are included!
Note: different conditions will have different profiles of executive dysfunction, and people within the same diagnoses can have different EDF profiles as well. In fact, in some cases (and probably many more than the research has discovered so far), EDF profile groupings can cut across diagnostic groups.
Conditions which include EDF
This list will be continually updated as we find more conditions that have had research-confirmed executive dysfunction. Some have only a little research done, or only a small amount of EDF involved, while others have tens of thousands of papers on the topic. Different conditions (and different people within those conditions) will have different EF profiles, so these lists are not meant to suggest that these groups will deal with the same kinds of EDF difficulties.
And, if you know of anything we missed, please leave a comment below!
Most significant impairments (or are the most studied):
A note on how these are categorized: There are no clear definitions (but much controversy) of what conditions should be categorized as what, so this list is basically based off of googling to see what is often put where only, and doesn’t claim to represent true classifications of all of them.
Neurodivergent Conditions:
- ADHD
- Autism
- Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder
- Learning Disabilities
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Tourette Syndrome
- Mental Health Conditions
- (Other) Neurological Conditions
Other conditions which also involve EDF (though less, or less frequently studied):
- Anemia
- Aphantasia
- Blindness
- BPD
- Chronic Pain
- Complicated Grief
- Connective Tissue Disorders
- Deafness
- Dysautonomia
- Fibromyalgia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Intellectual Disability
- Lyme Disease
- ME/CFS
- Sleep Disorders
- Synesthesia
Again, we’d love to hear from you if you know of others that should be added!