When a child has to use too much energy to attend to their work, then that is the area that is a learning block to them. This child often has a body chemistry that is upset, and can be changed with simple methods at home and school. Other times a parent finds that working with a professional in this area is most helpful.
Often a parent will say of such a child: “He can focus on movies, video games, or Legos for hours, but can't focus on his schoolwork for more than five minutes.” It is important to realize what is going on, so we don’t become frustrated with this type of child. Movies, video games, or Legos require little energy because children find them interesting and undemanding. On the other hand, a history or math lesson requires much more effort on the child’s part. If the child has an “energy leak” in a certain area, then they will have to work much harder to remain focused. Therefore it is important to distinguish whether a child is struggling with an academic task because of an actual learning block, which causes task avoidance because of its difficulty, or a focusing problem.
Many times these children are struggling with sensory integration issues that make them look unfocused.
We’ll look at the characteristics of a child struggling with a focus issue, and a child struggling with sensory integration issues separately, even though they often overlap.
The official terms that are often used for children who have difficulty remaining focused on a task that they are capable of doing are Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
ADD refers to a child who is not acting out or moving around, and can even look attentive during a task, but is generally absorbed in his own thoughts and daydreams to the point that he gets little done in the amount of time allotted.
A child who is thought to be ADHD is generally hyperactive. This child has a motor that is always running that he seems incapable of controlling. He does everything in a hurry, and some part of his body always appears to be moving, which keeps him quite distracted.
The hyperactive child (not just hyper-fidgety), is usually easy to spot in a group. The inattentive child, on the other hand, is not easy to spot. This child just appears to be slow in finishing work, or in following directions. They may seem lazy or uncooperative.
ADD Checklist
Remember, that to be a real focusing issue, the symptoms must present themselves in more than one setting. It is important to differentiate between a child whose main problem is focusing, from a child who is exhibiting task avoidance because of academic struggles. For example, if your child’s teacher says that they do listen attentively to lessons and participates lively in discussions but “gets silly” or doesn’t complete assigned work, you can consider that this child has a learning glitch instead of a focusing problem. The child with difficulty focusing frequently does not attend to orally presented information enough to participate well in the ensuing discussion.
On the other hand, if your child’s karate teacher says that he needs to continually redirect your child’s attention during lessons (ones that are very active and hands-on), you may consider that this child is struggling to maintain focus when his peers do not need to expend any energy for this task.
How You Can Determine if Your Child Has a Focusing Issue
There are two ways that children who have to expend more energy than their peers to focus can be helped. One way is to use compensation, and the other is to employ correction of the problem. Since it takes time for any correctional program to work, we really need to do both procedures. We compensate for the problem, while designing and implementing an effective correctional program.
In determining the best way to correct a child’s processing problem that is affecting his ability to focus on a task, we need to consider that this child likely has an upset chemistry. The basis for this assumption is the long history of the use of medication used with children with a focusing issue. These medications are designed to help the child focus with more ease, by making the neurotransmitters responsible for the process of focusing, more available to the brain and nervous system.
If a parent decides to try some medication for this purpose, then the child’s paediatrician is the place to start. Sometimes parents try various medications, only to find the side effects to be unacceptable. So it’s a good idea to also consider alternative ways to help balance the child’s upset body chemistry.
Other times the parents are not interested in pursuing medication at all, but realize that their child is struggling too hard to focus, so still needs some help in producing and releasing the necessary neurotransmitters. This is when parents often turn to a nutritionist, naturopath, chiropractor, or nutritionally oriented physician to explore alternatives that seem to help so many children.
Compensations
Employ one-on-one tutoring. Children with attention problems thrive when an adult works one-on-one with them. T hese children struggle to complete work on their own, and find the frequent reminders to hurry up and complete their work debilitating.
Talks to your school/teacher and have them choose a curriculum that does not require mainly independent work (such as a computer curriculum program, or a self-paced program). Have them reduce workbook exercises and busy work, such as copying and repeating math problems, as much as possible. Ask them to let your child use good quality earphones so they can block out distracting noise, or you could have him listen to classical music softly while working on assignments. Have them keep your child close as proximity to an adult makes a big difference in their ability to focus. Have them let your child take breaks. Many little breaks, versus one big break, helps these children stay on task and explain to them that they will need to adjust their expectations. The other children may complete tasks without constant reminders; however a child with focus issues cannot not do so, have them consider that if your child had a physical disability, they would have to adjust their expectations. These children do have a real disability, but because it is not visible it can so easily be seen as sloppiness, irresponsibility, or laziness.
Corrections
Medications: Even though some parents are not interested in the use of medications to help their child focus, the discussion is warranted here, since there may be times when it is necessary, even if it is only for a short period of time.
Often a parent will say of such a child: “He can focus on movies, video games, or Legos for hours, but can't focus on his schoolwork for more than five minutes.” It is important to realize what is going on, so we don’t become frustrated with this type of child. Movies, video games, or Legos require little energy because children find them interesting and undemanding. On the other hand, a history or math lesson requires much more effort on the child’s part. If the child has an “energy leak” in a certain area, then they will have to work much harder to remain focused. Therefore it is important to distinguish whether a child is struggling with an academic task because of an actual learning block, which causes task avoidance because of its difficulty, or a focusing problem.
Many times these children are struggling with sensory integration issues that make them look unfocused.
We’ll look at the characteristics of a child struggling with a focus issue, and a child struggling with sensory integration issues separately, even though they often overlap.
The official terms that are often used for children who have difficulty remaining focused on a task that they are capable of doing are Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
ADD refers to a child who is not acting out or moving around, and can even look attentive during a task, but is generally absorbed in his own thoughts and daydreams to the point that he gets little done in the amount of time allotted.
A child who is thought to be ADHD is generally hyperactive. This child has a motor that is always running that he seems incapable of controlling. He does everything in a hurry, and some part of his body always appears to be moving, which keeps him quite distracted.
The hyperactive child (not just hyper-fidgety), is usually easy to spot in a group. The inattentive child, on the other hand, is not easy to spot. This child just appears to be slow in finishing work, or in following directions. They may seem lazy or uncooperative.
ADD Checklist
- Distractibility.
- No persistence with a task.
- Inconsistency in performance from one day to another.
- Excessive daydreaming during a school related task.
- Needs to have mom next to him or her in order to finish work.
- Forgetfulness (of previously learned material, daily plans, etc.).
ADHD Checklist
A child struggling with the more active form of a focusing issue will display some of these characteristics:
- Excess motor activity (something is always moving).
- Impulsiveness (acts without thinking much of the time).
- Insatiability (never satisfied with an activity).
- Poor response to discipline.
- Moodiness.
- Sleep disturbances (very restless sleeper).
Remember, that to be a real focusing issue, the symptoms must present themselves in more than one setting. It is important to differentiate between a child whose main problem is focusing, from a child who is exhibiting task avoidance because of academic struggles. For example, if your child’s teacher says that they do listen attentively to lessons and participates lively in discussions but “gets silly” or doesn’t complete assigned work, you can consider that this child has a learning glitch instead of a focusing problem. The child with difficulty focusing frequently does not attend to orally presented information enough to participate well in the ensuing discussion.
On the other hand, if your child’s karate teacher says that he needs to continually redirect your child’s attention during lessons (ones that are very active and hands-on), you may consider that this child is struggling to maintain focus when his peers do not need to expend any energy for this task.
How You Can Determine if Your Child Has a Focusing Issue
- Checklists, such as the one above help identify a child with an issue.
- Paediatricians can help decipher the observations you have of your child.
- Conners Behaviour Scale, or BASC can be obtained by your physician.
These are informal questionnaires to be completed by parents and other adults who work with your child in an academic setting. The results are calibrated to determine if the child is merely at risk of an attention problem, or actually is showing attention problem symptoms in more than one setting.
There are two ways that children who have to expend more energy than their peers to focus can be helped. One way is to use compensation, and the other is to employ correction of the problem. Since it takes time for any correctional program to work, we really need to do both procedures. We compensate for the problem, while designing and implementing an effective correctional program.
In determining the best way to correct a child’s processing problem that is affecting his ability to focus on a task, we need to consider that this child likely has an upset chemistry. The basis for this assumption is the long history of the use of medication used with children with a focusing issue. These medications are designed to help the child focus with more ease, by making the neurotransmitters responsible for the process of focusing, more available to the brain and nervous system.
If a parent decides to try some medication for this purpose, then the child’s paediatrician is the place to start. Sometimes parents try various medications, only to find the side effects to be unacceptable. So it’s a good idea to also consider alternative ways to help balance the child’s upset body chemistry.
Other times the parents are not interested in pursuing medication at all, but realize that their child is struggling too hard to focus, so still needs some help in producing and releasing the necessary neurotransmitters. This is when parents often turn to a nutritionist, naturopath, chiropractor, or nutritionally oriented physician to explore alternatives that seem to help so many children.
Compensations
Employ one-on-one tutoring. Children with attention problems thrive when an adult works one-on-one with them. T hese children struggle to complete work on their own, and find the frequent reminders to hurry up and complete their work debilitating.
Talks to your school/teacher and have them choose a curriculum that does not require mainly independent work (such as a computer curriculum program, or a self-paced program). Have them reduce workbook exercises and busy work, such as copying and repeating math problems, as much as possible. Ask them to let your child use good quality earphones so they can block out distracting noise, or you could have him listen to classical music softly while working on assignments. Have them keep your child close as proximity to an adult makes a big difference in their ability to focus. Have them let your child take breaks. Many little breaks, versus one big break, helps these children stay on task and explain to them that they will need to adjust their expectations. The other children may complete tasks without constant reminders; however a child with focus issues cannot not do so, have them consider that if your child had a physical disability, they would have to adjust their expectations. These children do have a real disability, but because it is not visible it can so easily be seen as sloppiness, irresponsibility, or laziness.
Corrections
Medications: Even though some parents are not interested in the use of medications to help their child focus, the discussion is warranted here, since there may be times when it is necessary, even if it is only for a short period of time.
- Serotonin boosting medications:
- Ritalin (short release time)
- Concerta (sustained release time)
- Antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, etc.)
- Ritalin (short release time)
- Stimulants:
- Adderall (amphetamines)
- Adderall (amphetamines)
- Dopamine boosting medication:
- Strattera
All medications come with the risk of side effects, of course. Parents must weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before deciding whether or not to use medications.
Diet: It has been known for over 20 years, first starting with Dr. Feingold and his famous Feingold Diet, that by reducing sugars, colourings and preservatives, children with attention disorders have a much easier time focusing.
Many parents report that when they change the diet of all children at home, that they see a tremendous difference in learning ability and behaviour. Some of the diet recommendations that seem to be the most effective include:
Reduce sugar intake. It’s the hidden sugars that get us in trouble, such as the sweeteners in fruit juice, boxed cereals, muesli bars, fruit rollups, soft drinks, chocolate milk, pancakes, waffles, etc. Remember that a Snickers bar has about 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 35 grams of sugar. When you add the two together, you get 65 grams. Without realizing it, we often feed our children this same amount of sugar by just giving them juice and a bowl of cereal. For many children, consuming this much sugar contributes to their difficulty focusing and controlling their moods.
Increase raw fruit and vegetable intake. As we know from the research in books such as Children with Starving Brains by Dr. Chandless, many children are low in essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. These children either are not getting the daily nutrients they need for their brain to function well, or they are eating the correct foods, but are not absorbing the nutrients found in the food.
The enzymes contained in raw foods greatly assist the digestive system in absorbing nutrients. This can make a huge difference with some children. To make this difference, parents always had grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fruit around to eat, and made sure the children had three servings a day. These parents also kept a plate of raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and green pepper strips along with plenty of ranch dressing around for lunch.
Use less processed food. As the pioneering Dr. Feingold and many of the researchers following him found, when food is boxed, it is filled with preservatives. Those preservatives can be very toxic to a child’s nervous system. Processed food also has no life in it. The rule of thumb for brain-healthy eating is to shop as much as you can in the periphery of the grocery store, where the plugs are in the walls. Buying food that is refrigerated in the store ensures you that the life-giving nutrients are still in there. When it is canned or boxed, the live nutrients, such as the fats that are good for the brain have been removed so that they do not go rancid on the shelf. Of course, there are some good brain fats that are not refrigerated such as cans of tuna or salmon, and mayonnaise.
Increase water intake. Children are often tired because they are dehydrated. They do not drink enough water during the day. A great book that details all the symptoms of being low in water intake is Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batmangahlidj. He recommends that children drink half their weight in ounces of water. Making adequate water intake during the day a family priority is very helpful for many families. Water helps eliminate histamine and other toxins from the body.
- Strattera
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