The Drake Institute now offers remote treatment for ADHD, autism, and other brain-based disorders. With the help of our trained clinicians, you can get the help you need from the comfort of your home.
Learn More >>The Drake Institute now offers remote treatment for ADHD, autism, and other brain-based disorders. With the help of our trained clinicians, you can get the help you need from the comfort of your home.
Learn More >>ADHD and executive dysfunction are closely linked. In fact, ADHD is one of the most common causes of executive dysfunction. However, there are several other causes of executive dysfunction, including autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and others.
Executive functions are the mental skills that govern our ability to plan, organize, manage time, and regulate emotions. Symptoms of executive dysfunction often appear as difficulties setting goals, prioritizing tasks, staying organized, and meeting deadlines.[i]
For decades, the Drake Institute has used advanced treatment technologies to create customized treatment protocols for patients with autism, ADHD, and other brain-based conditions. Brain map-guided neurofeedback and neurostimulation help our ADHD patients reduce their symptoms and have better quality lives.
For more information about how the Drake Institute treats ADHD and several other brain-based conditions, please fill out the consultation form or call us at 800-700-4233.
ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects both children and adults. Individuals with ADHD struggle to sustain attention and some individuals may also have hyperactivity or experience difficulty controlling impulses. It is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders and generally appears in childhood or adolescence.[ii]
ADHD is caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Studies have found that if an individual has ADHD, their children have around a 35% chance of having the disorder as well.[iii] Difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth may also be linked to ADHD.
There is no cure for ADHD, but proper ADHD treatment can help individuals reduce symptoms of executive dysfunction and have an opportunity to reach their full potential.
At the Drake Institute, we have had patients that no longer meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD by the completion of their treatment.
Executive functioning consists of the abilities we need to get things done. Some of these abilities are planning, paying attention, prioritizing, staying organized, multitasking, being on time, and controlling impulses.
When there is dysregulation in the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, it may be more challenging to develop and utilize these skills. This is called executive dysfunction.[iv]
Can you have executive dysfunction without ADHD? While the two disorders are linked, you do not have to have ADHD to have executive dysfunction. When considering executive functioning disorder vs. ADHD, it is important to remember that ADHD can often present with executive function deficits, but not everyone with executive function challenges will have ADHD.
There are a variety of factors that can cause executive dysfunction. Genetics, psychological trauma, physical damage to the brain structure, and exposure to toxins in the womb have all been linked to executive functioning issues. Scientists have also found links between executive dysfunction and disorders like ADHD, depression, autism, OCD, and Alzheimer’s disease.[v]
ADHD can significantly impacts an individual’s capacity for executive functioning. This makes certain cognitive processes, like organizing thoughts, managing time, prioritizing, and making decisions, more difficult. These symptoms can negatively affect individuals’ functioning in school, social settings, at work, or at home.[vi]
Is executive dysfunction a symptom of ADHD? Yes, executive dysfunction is a symptom of ADHD.
Executive functions have been broken down into six clusters[vii]:
Getting started with almost any task can be difficult for those with ADHD. Organizing materials, prioritizing tasks, estimating the time needed, and overcoming initial inertia are often significant hurdles. Procrastination often wins when the mental effort required to initiate a task is overwhelming.
Maintaining focus and filtering out distractions is a serious challenge with ADHD. Those with the disorder may find their minds wandering frequently, making sustaining attention or concentrating on conversations difficult.
Mental effort requires physical energy.[viii] Because processes like paying attention, remembering details, and managing time require so much extra effort in individuals with ADHD, they may find themselves drained in working on ordinary tasks. This could result in reduced alertness and motivation to complete tasks. And even when tasks are finally completed, they may be late or of poor quality.
Emotional regulation can be negatively affected when there is executive dysfunction. Biologically, the individual may have lower frustration tolerance. The impulse control needed to manage frustration and modulate emotions can be compromised or reduced with executive dysfunction.
Working memory is often impaired in individuals with ADHD. It is the ability to keep and recall information so it is available for immediate use. Impairment can lead to difficulty following instructions, remembering details, and completing multi-step tasks. Retrieving information from long-term memory may also be affected.
Individuals with ADHD may have trouble regulating their impulsive behavior, and may not be aware of how their impulsive activity negatively affects others. Children with ADHD are not necessarily purposefully being insensitive or rude to others, their impulses drive their behavior and they’re not processing how it may impact others.
At the Drake Institute, we believe that the first step in helping ADHD individuals with executive dysfunction is to improve the brain dysregulation that’s driving it. We use qEEG brain map-guided neurofeedback and neurostimulation to improve the brain dysregulation linked to symptoms.
We also feel that as an adjunct, it may help to create compensatory systems or strategies to minimize the effects of one’s deficits. Below are some suggestions:
Remembering important events, appointments, or deadlines can be difficult with impaired working memory. Remove the burden from your mind and create external to-do lists. Use phone reminders, scheduled texts to yourself, planners, sticky notes, and more are available tools to help you remember your to-do list.
When you set up automatic payments, you have one less thing to try to remember, and you don’t run the risk of fees for late payments.
Bluetooth or wifi trackers can be used to find your phone, keys, remote control, or any other item that often gets lost. If you struggle with organization, this technology can help in your daily life while you address ADHD brain dysregulation.
An online password manager can help you save your logins for social media, streaming services, and more so you never get locked out.
Your environment can impact performance and productivity. When you’re dealing with executive dysfunction and ADHD, make sure your working environment suits your needs. .
The ability to perform specific executive functioning tasks fluctuates throughout the day.[ix] Take note of when you have the most mental energy and aim to complete your most challenging tasks at this time. This will amplify your executive functioning potential and get the most out of your effort.
It’s a good idea to minimize distractions when you need to be productive. Smartphones have proven to be a particularly challenging obstacle to concentration. When you need to finish something, try putting your phone on silent or “do not disturb” mode to limit incoming calls, messages, and notifications.
It’s difficult to stay motivated with ADHD, especially when consequences aren’t immediately apparent. This can easily lead to procrastination, reduced productivity, and even missing deadlines. Set rules for yourself by limiting distractions like social media time, general web scrolling, etc..
Research has found that stress impacts executive functions, particularly working memory and cognitive flexibility. This means that reducing stress is particularly important for ADHD individuals who already have executive dysfunction to some degree. Take appropriate mental breaks to relax and recharge your mind.
Over the last 40 years, the Drake Institute has clinically pioneered the use of advanced treatment technologies to treat a variety of brain-based medical disorders such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, PTSD, anxiety, panic disorder, depression, insomnia, and more. Using a combination of brain map-guided neurofeedback and sometimes neurostimulation, our Medical Director creates customized treatment protocols to address each patient's needs.
To develop our individualized treatment plans, we first complete a qEEG brain map analysis for each patient. Brain mapping helps us identify which specific regions or networks of the brain are dysregulated linked to symptoms.
To collect this data, 19 sensors are placed around the scalp in areas of the brain responsible for language, focus, memory, executive functioning, social/emotional understanding and behavioral/emotional regulation. The 19 sensors measure and record brainwave activity that is processed through a normative database of neurotypical individuals.
When we compare the patient's results with those of neurotypical individuals, we can identify regions or networks of the brain that are dysregulated and causing symptoms. This information also allows us to determine how these areas are dysregulated so that we can develop specific treatment protocols that help improve brain functioning and reduce symptoms.
During neurofeedback training/treatment, sensors are once again placed on the scalp. The sensors record and display instantaneous brainwave activity visually in real-time on a computer screen with simultaneous auditory feedback as well.
During neurofeedback sessions, the patient is seeing the results of how their brain is working and with this information, they learn to improve their brainwave activity by guiding it toward healthier, more appropriately functional brainwave patterns.
We do not administer any drugs or perform invasive procedures during this process. Instead, the patient is improving their own brain functioning, guided by visual and auditory feedback.
As an adjunct to neurofeedback, we may also use neurostimulation guided by qEEG brain map findings to gently stimulate the brain into healthier functional patterns. In our experience, some patients may benefit even more from neurofeedback if we also use neurostimulation. We have found this particularly helpful for lower-functioning children on the Autism Spectrum.
In the last forty years, Drake has helped thousands of patients with various disorders such as autism, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, panic disorder, depression, insomnia, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and hypertension reduce or resolve their symptoms and thereby achieve a better quality of life. Call us at 1-800-700-4233 or fill out the free consultation form to get started.
[i] https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/
[ii] https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
[iii] https://www.additudemag.com/is-adhd-hereditary-blog/
[iv] https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/
[v] https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/executive-function
[vi] https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/
[vii] https://chadd.org/about-adhd/executive-function-skills/
[viii] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01005/full
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Interview with Dr. David Velkoff
Seth's Story
Interview with Dr. David Velkoff
Spanish News Feature
“David F. Velkoff, M.D., our Medical Director and co-founder, supervises all evaluation procedures and treatment programs. He is recognized as a physician pioneer in using biofeedback, qEEG brain mapping, neurofeedback, and neuromodulation in the treatment of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and stress related illnesses including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and high blood pressure. Dr. David Velkoff earned his Master’s degree in Psychology from the California State University at Los Angeles in 1975, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta in 1976. This was followed by Dr. Velkoff completing his internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology with an elective in Neurology at the University of California Medical Center in Irvine. He then shifted his specialty to Neurophysical Medicine and received his initial training in biofeedback/neurofeedback in Neurophysical Medicine from the leading doctors in the world in biofeedback at the renown Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. In 1980, he co-founded the Drake Institute of Neurophysical Medicine. Seeking to better understand the link between illness and the mind, Dr. Velkoff served as the clinical director of an international research study on psychoneuroimmunology with the UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. This was a follow-up study to an earlier clinical collaborative effort with UCLA School of Medicine demonstrating how the Drake Institute's stress treatment resulted in improved immune functioning of natural killer cell activity. Dr. Velkoff served as one of the founding associate editors of the scientific publication, Journal of Neurotherapy. He has been an invited guest lecturer at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, UCLA, Cedars Sinai Medical Center-Thalians Mental Health Center, St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, and CHADD. He has been a medical consultant in Neurophysical Medicine to CNN, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Univision, and PBS.”
