Embodied Talk

04/08/2026

“Just try harder” asks a child to use a skill they may not have built yet. Executive functions are the family of mental processes that let us think before acting, stay focused, and adjust when the plan changes — and they matter more for how school and work turn out than IQ or family income do.

There are three core skills: inhibitory control (of behaviour and of attention), working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Over the next four posts I’ll take each one on its own, with things you can actually do at home.

One thing worth knowing now: executive functions need to be challenged, not just used — and they grow best when stress goes down and joy goes up. At Embodied Talk we try and include more of the joyful, fun things. We don’t always take pictures - but here are a couple!

adhdparenting executivefunctioning neuroaffirming embodiedtalk

Want to read more? You can find more of Adele Diamond PhD’s work on executive function at Additude Magazine.

14/07/2026

“Why won’t they just try?”

It’s a question I hear sometimes from parents of autistic emerging adults — when their young person isn’t applying for jobs, is skipping self-care, or keeps agreeing to plans they never follow through on.

Here’s the reframe that changes everything: it’s almost never a motivation problem. It’s usually one of three quiet barriers 👇

→ Skills — the learnable how-to (resumes, cooking, money). Development is uneven, so their age tells you little about what they’ve actually mastered. → Capacity — today’s bandwidth. An invisible gas tank drained by burnout, anxiety and sensory overload, so it swings day to day. → Readiness — the confidence and emotional safety to act. After past knock-backs, it shows up as protective avoidance.

The clue is in how they react when you bring it up: confused and asking questions points to skills; shut down and exhausted points to capacity; anxious and defensive points to readiness. Name the wrong one and good intentions backfire — pushing harder when they need rest only deepens the burnout.

They’re not broken, lazy, or unmotivated. They’re navigating something you can’t see. Match your support to the real barrier and launching becomes collaborative, not combative. It doesn’t help when there’s so few services out there to really support these young adults.

Not sure which barrier you’re seeing? DM me — let’s work it out together. 💬

08/07/2026

If I had a dollar for every “I don’t know”, I wouldn’t have a mortgage…the struggle is real…

07/07/2026

Use ALL the resources out there! Or at least the good ones!

07/07/2026

And just to continue the theme of old dogs learning new tricks, Teddy won 736 treats for not running away from his fears and learning ROLL OVER!! Best dog EVER! 🤣🐾🏆🥇❤️

07/07/2026

Who’d have thought you can completely blow up your life by doing another Masters…And…12 months after you finished, be told you got the Dean’s award for topping your year?!?

18/06/2026

It’s not in your head — it’s in your hormones.
Estrogen drives focus, mood and memory. When it dips, ADHD and autistic brains feel it first.
→ Focus fades in the days before your period → 2 in 3 women with ADHD report PMS, PMDD or postpartum depression → Periods can crank up sensory overload + masking burnout → Perimenopause is often when a late diagnosis finally lands
You’re not too much. Your brain is just listening closely.
Swipe 👉 save it for the hard weeks.
—

02/06/2026

Teddy cuteness at the end of the day! Thank goodness for this doggie. Couldn’t ask for more. Could possibly ask for a little less fetch, but whadd’ya do?

22/03/2026