Why can’t my child pay attention?

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Is your child unfocused? Have you ever wondered why they can seem to stay on one task or seem to remember what they were doing? Learning and cognitive skills take time to develop and like most skills, it requires a foundational level of learning and development to achieve focus and attention. But how do we build attention?

How does a child pay attention?

There are 4 different types of attention.

Sustained attention

Sustained attention is the type of attention most commonly known. It is when you are able to focus on a task, activity, or person for a certain amount of time. This is required for homework, learning and writing, etc. When a child does not have sustained attention they will struggle to remain engaged in an activity and often try to jump between toys, games or activities. This often means they do not understand the beginning and end of an activity and are unwilling to sustain their attention for the duration of a task.

Divided attention

This involves focusing on multiple conversations, tasks, activities or people at one time. Commonly known as multitasking, divided attention can be overwhelming, requiring a lot of focus and energy. As a result, this can be very exhausting and oftentimes ineffective.

We may accidentally ask a kid to have divided attention when we give them an instruction while they are playing. They are dividing their attention between a toy and what we are asking them to do which is why they may not retain the information given to them.

Selective attention

Selective attention occurs when there are multiple stimuli in the environment while we are trying to focus on one task. This is different from sustained attention because the child must consciously focus on one thing despite the different stimulus trying to divert their attention. This often occurs in the classroom where there are multiple children talking or playing while a child is trying to focus. Meaning, it requires lots of energy and discipline for a child to focus with the external stimulus distracting them.

Executive attention

This is a higher level of attention that goes beyond selective attention, in which you focus on one specific task with ruthless prioritisation. It involves ignoring all other stimuli but also being very conscious of what task and information is relevant to the task at hand. This is a very complex skill and is unlikely to be achieved by a child with a growing and developing brain.

Things to develop a child’s attention

Encouraging a kid to pack away when they finish a task. Packing away is physically symbolic of the end of a task, and this will help children understand there is a beginning (unpacking the activity) and an end (packing away of the activity) to a task. Once a child understands there is a distinct beginning and end then they are better able to reach a level of sustained attention during the task.
Engaging them in child-led activities to boost their interest and therefore maintain their attention to the task at hand.
Encourage the child’s resilience to reduce their likelihood of becoming bored, disinterested or discouraged during a task.

How do developmental delays or disabilities impact children developing attention?

The different types of attention require different levels of cognition, discipline, emotional regulation and understanding from children. A child with a disability often struggles to develop, learn and engage in activities because of their diagnosis. This is not to say a child with disability cannot learn or pay attention but that the act of paying attention could be hard, more fatiguing and require more support than their peers.

For example, a child with Down Syndrome may struggle to remain attentive in class because of the low tone and hypermobility associated with their disability. A child with Down Syndrome requires more strength to remain seated meaning it is very fatiguing to sit up and learn in a traditional classroom. It may mean they require more breaks, specialised seating equipment, and for activities to be broken down more for them to retain the information.

Who do I see if I have concerns?

At Strong and Courageous Kids, we support families to better understand a child’s strengths and provide effective evidence-based interventions to support a child’s development. Our therapists are specially qualified to develop a child’s cognition and increase their participation at school and in the community.