Understanding ADHD Through an Executive Functioning Lens
CPD courses for psychologists
This course provides a contemporary, clinically grounded understanding of ADHD as a condition primarily involving differences in executive functioning and self-regulation, rather than simply attention or behaviour.
Participants will explore how executive functioning systems—including working memory, inhibition, emotional regulation, planning, and persistence—shape real-world functioning across the lifespan. The course highlights how ADHD impacts the ability to translate intention into consistent action over time, helping explain many of the challenges individuals experience in education, work, relationships, and daily life.
A strong emphasis is placed on shifting from surface-level interpretations of behaviour (e.g., motivation or effort) toward a deeper understanding of underlying regulation processes. The course also examines developmental factors, environmental influences, masking and compensation, and the interaction between executive functioning and emotional wellbeing.
Practical, evidence-informed strategies are integrated throughout, supporting clinicians to apply an executive functioning lens in assessment, formulation, and intervention.
This training is suitable for mental health professionals, educators, and support practitioners seeking to enhance both conceptual understanding and practical application in ADHD-informed care.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
- Understand ADHD as a condition involving executive functioning and self-regulation differences.
- Identify key executive functioning domains, including working memory, inhibition, planning, emotional regulation, and persistence.
- Explain how executive functioning develops across the lifespan and why ADHD presentation may vary across age and context.
- Differentiate executive functioning challenges from motivation or behavioural difficulties.
- Recognise the functional impact of executive functioning difficulties across daily life domains (e.g., school, work, relationships).
- Understand the relationship between executive functioning and emotional wellbeing, including emotional dysregulation and self-concept.
- Apply an executive functioning lens to assessment, including interpreting screening data and using multi-informant perspectives.
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