Automatic habits for doing activities are stored in the brain as procedural memories. When something unusual happens, normal people seem to pull out of automatic pilot and adjust to the unusual circumstances. People with a cognitive disability and operating within ACL 4.0 do not seem to be able to do that, and this is one of the times that their cognitive disability is apparent.
The time and circumstances when the unusual happens is both more frequent and inconvenient than most people realise, such as running out of shampoo while standing in the shower. Within ACL 4.0, the probability of this happening next time they take a shower is rarely anticipated. Every maintenance activity that they do and that uses supplies, is beset by the same problem, which drives carers' nuts. If it is not the shampoo, it is the peanut butter, or the jelly or the bread.
To do a goal-directed task, the person is able to link at least three familiar actions together so that the activity has a beginning, middle and end. As long as their habits are followed, there is an orderly sequence of steps that is followed without assistance. The process is slower than normal, usually taking twice as long. The cues that are used are the striking visual cues that began to capture attention in ACL 3. The difference is that they are classified as an activity and they can self-direct themselves through the sequence. Self-direction reduces the need for assistance.