Autistic Culture Podcast | Neurodivergent Perspectives cover image

Autistic Culture Podcast | Neurodivergent Perspectives

Aging and Executive Function (Episode 118)

Mar 28, 2025
Delve into the intricacies of executive functioning as it evolves with age. Discover the pressures on autistic individuals, from navigating daily tasks to tackling modern technology demands. Explore the inadequacy of typical advice and the concept of autistic inertia. Hear personal journeys of unmasking in the workplace and the challenges of maintaining authenticity. The discussion touches on comorbid health conditions and the impact of trauma on autistic lives, stressing the need for understanding and self-advocacy in the face of societal expectations.
01:08:53

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Quick takeaways

  • Aging can lead to a decline in executive functioning skills for autistic individuals, exacerbated by increasing life demands like financial management and job responsibilities.
  • Neurotypical advice on executive functioning often fails to consider the nuances of autistic processing, leading to misunderstandings and inadequate support.

Deep dives

Understanding Executive Functioning in Neurodiversity

Executive functioning is a complex set of cognitive processes that includes skills necessary for planning, managing tasks, and regulating emotions. Neurotypical individuals often have a more simplistic view of executive functioning compared to autistic individuals, who engage in bottom-up processing, analyzing a larger array of data and requiring clear directives to act. Autistic individuals may take language literally, leading to misunderstandings when expectations are not communicated properly, resulting in stress and confusion regarding tasks. As a result, the effectiveness of executive functioning can be significantly influenced by how well these nuances of communication are understood and accommodated.

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