Although the emphasis elsewhere is on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors for high dropout rates and associated student deficiencies in adult education (AE), a project explored an alternative etiology: intention deficit disorder. The hypothesis was that higher level "executive" regulatory skills are deficient in a subgroup of the AE population, making them poor prospects for benefiting from academic instruction if underlying regulatory functions were not addressed. Project activities included studying the topic of executive functioning and attempting to establish relationships to the activities carried out in adult literacy programs; evaluating instruments purported to test "executive functioning"; testing five students; evaluating these instruments' usefulness in planning for AE student programs; and providing two regional workshops dealing with this topic and self-regulatory abilities as prerequisites for instructional success. Findings were that the executive function hypothesis is an alternative way of viewing the apparent lack of intention or motivation of many AE students; available assessment instruments are designed to evaluate neuropsychological patients and are insulting to AE clients; and a preferred approach is a structured interview format. (Appendixes include the presentation, "Learning Deficit, Attention Deficit, or Intention Deficit Disorder"; executive functioning questionnaires; and proposed interview protocol.) (YLB)