Attention and focus disorders, a behavioral disorder prevalent among many children, shouldn't automatically lead to the assumption that every child who exhibits symptoms of poor focus or impulsivity suffers from this disorder.
This disorder affects a child's academic performance and can negatively impact their daily life. Therefore, it is important for parents and teachers to understand the reasons for attention deficiencies and to address them, besides adopting effective methods to help children enhance their concentration to improve performance.
Karina Kaadi, a child and adolescent psychologist, tells Al Jazeera Net that attention and focus disorders are not stand-alone conditions, often accompanying other issues like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and oppositional defiant disorder.
A child may be overly inattentive and suffer from a severe lack of attention and concentration (Getty)
What are the types of attention and focus disorders?
According to Kaadi, attention and focus disorders can be categorized into three subtypes:
- Inattention Disorder: In this type, a child is usually extremely inattentive, with a severe deficiency in focus and concentration.
- Hyperactivity Disorder: In this type, the child is overly hyperactive and impulsive.
- Combined Inattention and Hyperactivity Disorder: In this case, the child may suffer from both inattention and hyperactivity.
It is worth noting that children who primarily show attention and focus disorder symptoms without hyperactivity symptoms are characterized by their calmness and lethargy.
Exposure to violence or undergoing difficult experiences can weaken concentration ability (Getty)
What causes poor concentration?
Kaadi continues to explain that there are several causes of poor concentration, including:
- Anxiety: Anxiety can arise from multiple issues, such as the fear of separation from parents or the fear of embarrassment.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): This disorder greatly affects concentration, often manifesting in children during primary school years.
- Emotional Trauma: Sometimes exposure to violence or enduring difficult, stressful experiences can create feelings of insecurity and may lead to impaired concentration.
Enhancing a child's positive orientations can help them overcome difficulties they face (Getty)
Treatment Methods
Kaadi clarifies that behavior therapy can be employed, helping the child to organize their lifestyle in various ways, such as:
- Maintaining a consistent and harmonious lifestyle: Assist the child in organizing their living environment and arranging daily use items. The child could create a daily schedule.
- Enhancing the child’s positive orientations: This can help them overcome difficulties, maintain high focus, and stay directed. Showing love and compassion to the child consistently is also important.
- Practicing games that improve concentration: There are many games that help children increase their concentration levels, including memory games and puzzles.
- Reducing screen time: Children's concentration levels usually drop when they spend prolonged periods in front of screens.
- Establishing a work schedule: Parents should create a schedule for their children that includes time to complete homework. Routine helps reduce concentration issues over time.
- Providing rest periods for the child: Guidance on offering the child breaks is not limited to the home; teachers should also ensure that children who struggle with focus are given breaks to regain their concentration.
- Allowing additional time and reducing homework: Provide children struggling with concentration more time to complete academic tasks. Avoid overburdening them with excessive homework.
Ensuring 8 to 9 hours of sleep for the child daily is important for morning concentration tasks (Getty)
Essential Tips
Margaret Nickels, the director of the Center for Children and Families at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, advises parents to be clear and patient with their children afflicted with attention disorders and hyperactivity. Her tips include:
- Dealing with a hyperactive child can be difficult, as they are restless, moving from one activity to another with boundless energy, and struggling with listening or following directions.
- Parents should engage with awareness and patience. If the child performs poorly at school, achieving lower grades and causing behavioral issues, insist they look at you when explaining something and break down information into small, manageable parts, having them repeat each step.
- Writing down instructions can also help the child follow them, enabling them to refer to a list to aid their memory.
- Ensure the child understands he is not being punished, and let them know the designated space will help them concentrate and encourage participation.
- It is critical not to punish the child for failing to complete the task list within a specific timeframe but rather grant them the freedom to complete tasks in any order instead of top to bottom sequence.
- The child requires a healthy diet suited to their neurological condition, rich in vitamins and proteins, and should avoid junk food.
- Provide ample daily recreation time for hobbies, giving them space and preventing constant pressure.
- Create the right atmosphere free from distractions, and ensure timely organization, as setting proper schedules is one of the best ways to treat concentration issues in children's studies.
- The mother should assist her child in maintaining a consistent bedtime routine, ensuring they get 8 to 9 hours of sleep daily for optimal rest, aiding morning study concentration.
