Attention

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Attention means focusing on specific information while ignoring other details. It helps us make sense of the world. Our attention has limits in both how much we can focus on and for how long. So, we need ways to manage it well.

Understanding Attention

Think of attention like a highlighter. When you read a book, the highlighted part stands out. That’s where your focus goes. 

Attention is not just about focusing. It also means ignoring other things that compete for your attention. It helps you block out sounds, sights, and feelings that don’t matter at the moment. This lets you focus your energy on what’s important. 

Attention also shapes how we see the world around us.

The Role of Attention in Learning and Thinking

Attention is part of our biology. Even newborns show it. For example, loud sounds grab their attention. A touch on the cheek triggers the rooting reflex, which helps the baby turn their head to nurse. These reflexes help us throughout life. 

Attention helps us learn, work, and build relationships. It lets us focus, remember things, and avoid distractions. This helps us finish tasks. 

Researchers have studied how many things we can focus on and for how long. What affects our attention? How interesting something is and how many distractions are around. 

Improving Attention

Most of the time, focusing on one thing and ignoring distractions feels automatic. But the ability to do this is actually very complex. 

Even people without attention difficulties can benefit from strategies that improve focus. Here are some helpful tips: 

Avoid Multitasking

To improve focus, avoid multitasking. Doing many things at once lowers productivity. You can use your limited attention better by working on one task at a time. 

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is important for attention. Research shows that sleep helps us stay focused. The relationship goes both ways—sleep affects attention, and attention demands can affect sleep. 

New Research and Treatments

New ways to improve attention may help people with attention-related conditions. For example, research from 2017 shows that brain pathways related to attention are closely linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Understanding these pathways may lead to better treatments.

Helping Children with Attention Problems

No matter a child’s age, include them in setting rules and consequences. When children help create rules, they are more likely to follow them. 

Children who struggle with attention may: 

  • Seem distracted 

  • Seem not to listen 

  • Have trouble focusing or staying focused 

  • Not follow directions well 

  • Need many reminders 

  • Show low effort in schoolwork 

  • Have trouble staying organized 

Many children have short attention spans. They get distracted easily and may not follow instructions or sit still. These signs can point to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but other conditions can also cause attention problems. It’s important to rule out other causes to avoid a wrong diagnosis.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment. It is often seen as a form of attention. Studies show that mindfulness training can help improve focus. 

Other Conditions That Affect Attention

  • Anxiety can make it hard to focus. Children who worry a lot may struggle to concentrate in school. For example, a child with separation anxiety may worry about their parents and not focus on class. Some children may avoid handing in homework or answering questions because they fear making mistakes. 

    A child who seems distracted in school may be dealing with ongoing worries that teachers and caregivers don’t notice. Anxiety comes in many forms, but they all share one thing: anxiety can “lock up the brain,” says neurologist and former teacher Ken Schuster, Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). This makes learning harder for anxious children. 

    A child with separation anxiety may worry that something bad will happen to their caregivers while they are apart. These thoughts can make it hard to focus on schoolwork. 

    Some children fear making mistakes or being embarrassed. When a teacher calls on them, they may try to avoid attention. They might look down or pretend to write something. These actions help them avoid what makes them anxious. 

    If a child takes a long time to finish work, it may not be daydreaming. They could be struggling with perfectionism, trying to get everything exactly right. If they don’t turn in homework, it might be because they worry it’s not good enough.

  • Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may seem distracted. They worry about bad things happening. When a teacher calls on them, they may look like they are not paying attention.

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which often begins in primary school, creates extra distractions. Children have obsessive thoughts and feel they must perform rituals to prevent bad things from happening. 

    A child with OCD might line up items on their desk, tap, or count silently. They may feel the need to go to the lavatory to wash their hands. 

    “A child may sit in class thinking they need to fix something to stop something terrible from happening,” says Jerry Bubrick, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. “When the teacher calls on them, they may not know the answer—not because they weren’t listening, but because they were obsessing.” 

    Children with OCD often feel ashamed of their symptoms. They may hide their compulsions at school. To a teacher who doesn’t know about the OCD, this behaviour may look like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it isn’t. 

  • Children who have experienced trauma may seem nervous, jumpy, or spaced out. These behaviours can look like ADHD. 

     

    Children who have experienced trauma may also seem inattentive. Those who have seen violence or other upsetting events may struggle to focus and feel unsafe. This constant alertness is called hypervigilance. 

    Children living with high stress at home may show these symptoms or even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

    “Many PTSD symptoms look like ADHD,” explains Jamie Howard, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a clinician at the Child Mind Institute. “Trouble concentrating, being easily startled, and hypervigilance can make a child seem jumpy and spaced out.”

  • Children with specific learning difficulties may struggle with schoolwork. They often feel frustrated or embarrassed when they can’t keep up. This can affect their ability to focus.

    If a child looks everywhere except at the book they’re supposed to read, they may have a learning disorder. 

    Children with undiagnosed dyslexia may fidget or feel ashamed that they can’t read like others. They may try to hide their struggle. 

    A child who finds math difficult might welcome distractions to avoid doing the work. 

    Children with auditory processing problems may miss parts of what the teacher says, even when they’re trying to listen. This can look like inattention. 

    Some children work extra hard to hide their learning difficulties. They may succeed until the schoolwork becomes too hard. 

    “They hide their weakness until they get older and the work becomes too much,” says Nancy Rappaport, Doctor of Medicine (MD), a professor at Harvard Medical School. “They’re often diagnosed with ADHD or depression unless someone identifies the learning issue.” 

Getting the Right Help

Don’t assume a child has ADHD just because a teacher notices attention problems. A mental health expert should examine the child. They will ask questions and observe behaviour. This helps find the real issue and provide the right treatment. 

Teachers often notice attention problems first. A child may: 

  • Take a long time to finish work 

  • Seem unaware of the lesson 

  • Tune out during instructions 

  • Forget tasks 

  • Lose homework 

Young children often have short attention spans. But some children struggle much more than others. ADHD is often the first thing people think of, but other causes may be involved. To avoid misdiagnosis, consider all possibilities. 

Is It Really ADHD?

Inattention is one of the three main signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with impulsivity and hyperactivity. Some children show only inattentive symptoms. 

But ADHD should not be diagnosed based only on teacher reports or a short visit to the paediatrician. 

To diagnose ADHD correctly, a clinician should gather information from multiple sources—caregivers, teachers, and others who know the child. Parents and teachers should complete rating scales to measure how often symptoms occur. 

The behaviour must last over time and appear in more than one setting, such as home and school. Clinicians must also rule out other possible causes. 

It’s important to compare a child’s attention to others of the same age—not just others in the same grade. A study from 2012 found that boys who are the youngest in their class are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest boys. Younger girls are 70% more likely to be diagnosed than the oldest girls. This shows that immaturity can be mistaken for ADHD.

The Child Mind Institute. It is a global organisation working to improve children’s mental health. You can find more information about the topics on this page by clicking the link.