Children often have trouble staying concentrated for more than a few minutes. Fortunately, a precise method can help them extend their attention.
We know how difficult it is to ask a child to stay attentive for more than a few minutes. In a classroom, at the time of homework or even during an activity that requires a minimum of effort, the concentration tends to quickly crumble. And for good reason, you should know that attention is not only the ability to fix your gaze on an object or run your ear when someone speaks. It is a complex cognitive process that selects what matters and filters which can be left out. It is used to focus on a precise task, but also to quickly switch from one activity to another, as to copy a written exercise in the table while following the teacher’s explanations.
When this mechanism is disrupting – after a brain injury for example, or in the context of attention disorders – everything becomes more complicated: sitting without moving, sorting useful information, not being caught up in the slightest noise, following an instruction without dropping out on the way. The child gets tired faster, gets lost in too long instructions and can be discouraged. In a study by the Royal Children’s Hospital of Melbourne on attention and concentration, researchers recall that these difficulties can be formally identified during a neuropsychological assessment. The specialist then identifies the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of the child and builds suitable support. This approach does not consist in imposing more discipline or multiplying reminders of order, but in modifying the environment and the organization of work.
Several strategies are effective: plan the tasks that require the most concentration when the child is the most available, limit the distraction sources by installing it in a quiet location, reduce the amount of information transmitted all at once or alternate mental and physical activities. These adjustments already make it possible to create conditions more favorable to attention, but they are not always enough. Neuropsychologists insist that the more the attention is requested, the faster it exhaust itself. Asking a child to stay focused for a long time without interruption amounts to running the risk of defeating him. It is for this reason that some clinicians recommend a precise method: split the tasks into small clearly delimited blocks and predict regular breaks between each.
Rather than attacking an exercise or duty as a long tunnel, the child progresses in stages, with an identifiable start and end and finds at each break the availability necessary to focus on a task. A technique to know and apply if necessary. By force, the child will be able to better manage his attention and progress more serenely!
