Brain Injury Functioning Issue #7

Executive Functions
Definition	The ability to reason, plan, problem solve, make inferences, and/or evaluate results of actions and decisions.
Signs and Symptoms of Problems	Poor Convergent Reasoning:  Hard to narrow down the key point or main idea of something.  Hard to choose the best possible solution to a problem. Poor Divergent Reasoning:  Hard to come up with more than one way of thinking about something.  Hard to see another point of view.  Difficulty with empathy.  Hard to think of multiple solutions to a problem, causing one to get stuck if one solution does not work.  Difficulty with Goal-Oriented Behavior:  Hard to set reasonable, attainable goals.  Difficulty thinking of all of the steps required to reach a goal.  Difficulty prioritizing what to do first.  Problems evaluating how your plan is going, fixing mistakes, and changing the plan as needed. Making Poor Decisions:  Acting on false or incomplete information.
Strategies for Survivors and Significant Others	Encourage use of all strategies required in hierarchy to this point Cue as needed to provide multiple alternatives to problems Avoid abstract language - be concrete and to the point Do not confuse stubbornness with decreased flexibility- a person may not see your point of view because he/she is unable to Write things down to increase concreteness Making pro/con lists to help with decision making Identify the relevant details and help to lead the person to a reasonable solution. Answer who, what, where, why, and how questions before making a decision to ensure all the essential information has been gathered first. Break directions down into sequential parts Provide set-up for tasks to assist participation Use written checklists for task steps Encourage the use of a planner Assist with set-up of filing system, notebook, etc. Take time to plan ahead Be consistent; establish structure Pre-plan activities to consider all aspects including amount of time, items needed, sequence of events, etc. Take the time needed to think of all the possible solutions to the problem at hand Verify that you are not missing a step in a sequence by stopping frequently and reviewing what has been done and what still needs to be completed. Ask questions Consider as many perspectives as possible before drawing  a conclusion