AI as an Executive Function Bridge for Neurodivergent Developers

Executive function is the set of skills behind starting tasks, prioritizing, and switching between them. For many neurodivergent engineers, these skills are the hard part of the job, not the code. A full Jira board doesn't tell you where to start, and a blank status report can stall you for hours.

This talk shows how I use an AI assistant as a bridge for executive function. It doesn't replace my judgment. It handles the parts that drain my attention. I'll walk through a real setup: a project instruction file that sets tone and boundaries, a "what should I work on now?" prompt that returns a short menu and clear starting point, and automated weekly status drafts built from ticket data. I'll also cover what didn't work. Wordy responses make decisions harder, and too much autonomy eroded trust without explicit approval gates.

We'll cover design principles for neurodivergent-friendly AI workflows: useful output guidance, recommended next step, and explicit permission rules. I'll also cover the limits, including when not to trust the output and how to keep your own judgment sharp.

Attendees will leave with a starter instruction file, three reusable prompts, and a framework for deciding which tasks to delegate to AI and which to keep.

You'll have guidelines to start to:

• Write instructions that fit how your brain works
• Cut your decision fatigue with simple next step prompts
• Know where to draw the line on AI autonomy