This term refers to skills that may be likened to the sort of supervisory “jobs” that an  executive may do for a company to ensure that it works efficiently. These include the ability to plan and to reason; to set goals (e.g. to know why we are doing things); to organise an activity or a task, to complete it in the right sequence and to monitor the way that we do this (e.g. realise if we are not doing it in the best way and revise our plans); to initiate an activity and to know when to stop doing it; to monitor our behaviour and to know what behaviour is appropriate in different situations. These difficulties may be relatively subtle or extreme so that the person may appear unable to tackle even the simplest of tasks, seem more impulsive or appear totally disorganised.

Problems in this area can cause difficulty within the home with budgeting and making sure bills are paid on time, running a house, doing things like putting together a shopping list or preparing a substantial meal.  Using public transport can be difficult if people find it hard to plan a route or make sure they have the correct money for a fare.  If something should disrupt plans, a train being cancelled for example, then it can be difficult for people working out what to do.  In the work situation problems in this area can make doing complex and varied tasks difficult.

Last modified – 15/11/2006