Attention Deficit Disorder or Simply Poor Concentration Skills? Part 1
Jul 12, 2005
I recently reviewed the results of a series of tests and something kept bothering me. Why did so many seemingly normal kids appear to have an attention deficit? Are we just getting better at identifying this problem or is something else going on?
In addition to measuring and testing kids for attention deficit, we need to reconsider our lifestyles and the ways we teach children. I believe that many attention problems are the result of learned behaviour.
Many kids can't pay attention because they have not been taught the skill of concentration. I am not trying to claim that attention deficits do not exist; quite the contrary. However, many kids who have trouble paying attention do not have an attention deficit. They merely have a short attention span. I believe this is partly due to television, movies, video games and the quick pace of modern life. Our busy, busy lives have trained our cognitive processes to look for quick bites, fast answers.
It's a learning process
So what can parents and teachers do about this? Spend quiet time with the children, read books, have long discussions uninterrupted by television or the telephone. That old advice to stop and smell the roses still holds true. We need to teach our kids how to learn and how to pay attention. In all but a few cases, paying attention is a learned skill. Children with true Attention Deficit Disorder cannot pay attention, but most kids today do not suffer from this disorder. Most of our children have not been taught how to pay attention.
Recently, my daughter filled our house with friends. It seemed as if 100 six-year-old girls had suddenly moved in. They created forts, nurseries, schools and stores. Every child was assigned a task. Some were storekeepers, some were parents, others were infants. Before assuming her role, almost every child took the time to prepare for it. Many rearranged their space while talking to themselves about whom they were and how they would act.
This was very interesting for me. They took time to reflect and consider. They prepared. They created their own space and demanded enough time to get ready to have fun! My daughter and her friends knew that they needed to concentrate, so they created an environment where that would be possible. Left to their own devices, kids seem to understand the need for quiet reflection, concentration and paying attention.
It is mostly in school-related activities that these skills go wanting. After watching these kids for a couple of hours, I thought about a typical classroom scene. There is little time for quiet reflection and even less personal space. Educational programs today are not designed for individuals; they are designed for groups.
Why is this the case? Why are our children attending daycare, kindergarten, and the primary grades one through three and not learning how to pay attention? All of these programs are supervised or taught by highly competent and well-trained individuals. Kids come and go through these delightful classrooms. They enjoy themselves. They follow the program. But what programs are they following? Where do these programs come from? Who writes them?
When your child comes home from school or daycare and tells you about the activities of the day, have you ever considered that they may not be appropriate?
Books have limited vocabulary
Every program being taught by teachers - and every textbook ever written - has an underlying set of ideas based on a philosophy. It is these ideas that determine the methods used by teachers (along with the material contained in textbooks). For example, those of us who are over 40 may remember a time when most of our reading material was found in books called readers, which had literary merit. A typical elementary school reader contained numerous stories of differing difficulty, stories to challenge and entertain pupils of various ages and abilities.
Go into a Grade 1 or 2 classroom today and you will find hundreds of small, colourful books full of simple words and pretty pictures. The books in today's classrooms have a very limited vocabulary. Publishers strive to publish stories with "age appropriate" vocabulary. Why? Who decided this? Has it helped or hurt?
In the classrooms of the past, we were taught to read using phonics. We were able to read well in Grade 1 and 2 and we read from those old readers. Sure, the books had some pictures, yet our minds and imaginations supplied most of the excitement.
I knew what Moby Dick looked like; I saw him in my mind's eye. That exercise in itself helped to develop concentration and attention. Using our inner eye - our imagination - helped us to develop the ability to focus and concentrate. We had to. We wanted to "see" what we were reading. We used our minds.
But there were other differences as well, such as vocabulary. We were reading from books containing literature. The vocabulary was demanding and the stories complex and exciting. (It is very difficult to make a story complex or exciting with limited vocabulary and more pictures than words.) Because we were enjoying the stories, we had to concentrate on the context of the story or we would not be able to understand what we were reading. That too forced us to concentrate.
Excerpt from Active Minds! by Dr. R. N. Whitehead, Director, Oxford Learning.
Read Attention Deficit Disorder or Simply Poor Concentration Skills? Part 2
Comments(36)
Find this article online at: www.oxfordlearning.com/letstalk/2005/jul/12/attention-deficit-disorder-part-1/
Rachel Williamson - Nov 26, 2005
My daughter of just 5 has been branded as special needs at her school as she has a short concentration span. But when she's at home she can quite happily read books or be read to for up to half an hr or so. She also has a younger sister who is 3, and the pair of them can play make believe for hours. I personally feel that teachers or schools label children too quickly and don't give them time to develop to their full potential. Our daughter has a fantastic imagination and a good vocabulary for her age, but these qualities have never been mentioned. Why? I feel that children are expected to perform to a certain level at a very young age, and are not allowed to be children. [edited for spelling]
Justine Fletcher - Jan 23, 2006
Hi,
My 5 year old daughers teacher is constantly telling me my daughter has no concentration apart from when she is drawing. Please can you tell me how I can get a copy of the book you mentioned, Will you please pay attention. I live in the UK.
Many thanks
Justine Fletcher
Antonette - Mar 17, 2006
Hello I Live in San Diego California and would love a copy of Will you pay attention. I have an 8 year old 3rd grader and his teacher has mentioned to me that he may have an attention problem. I visited my medical Dr. and he looked over the questionaires filled out by teacher and parents and letter written by teacher and he felt that I should visit the classroom and observe my child and he said that looking at my child and reading the infor presented to him that there was no need to start medication for ADD. Also I came across Mindsprinting an Online tutoring service and when I call to get more info they mentioned that the method of material that they are using is from the Oxford learning system. Do you know anything about Mindsprinting.com Many thanks to your great articles especially on ADD Antonette
Heidi Hall - Mar 24, 2006
Hi- Ive just glanced through some of these discussions about ADHD or attention issues. I have another side to all of this. I am a preschool teacher and I work with 3 and 4 year olds.I have a little boy who is 3and a hlf who is going to be evaluated here in his preschool setting with his peers by a professional because he displays so many of the typical ADHD symptoms. However, my(unprofessional) opinion is that it is because he is crying out for attention.His mother just remarried and this boy does not care for the new dad. He previously lived with mom and grandma and an older brother. The natural father is hardly in the picture at all since he was a young infant. His mother is sweet but very lacking in discipline. From what I can gather, the new step-dad is much more strict with him and mom undermines him frequently! When I have the child work on solitary activities ( in an area away from the rest of the class) and as long as I am close by to observe his progress and encourage him with comments like "good job... nice work... beautiful tower" and he knows I am right there watching and giving full attention he does great and there is no behavior problem!! There are other teachers that I work with who believe it is ADHD but I think it has more to do with his home life.?Any other thoughts?
Helen Greening - Mar 29, 2006
Hello
I have the same question as Justine above as I live in the UK - The book "Please Will You Pay Attention" sounds like it could offer the help I need. I have two boys aged 9 and 5 and have just sat through parents evening with each of their teachers in turn and been been told the same thing - "Your boys are of above average intelligence and occasionally demonstrate this, but cannot or will not concentrate and so may start to fall behind. Any other advice you could give would b great.
Sue McRoberts - Apr 13, 2006
I spent an hour today listeneing to my sons(9) teacher/principal about his poor concentration and how she compared him to other children that I consisder have/had major learning disabilities. My son is bright, but the school were quick to blame his poor concentration/listening skills on the problem. Is it not to some degree the teachers job to motivate and stimulate these children?? My some can sit and concerntrate beautifully for assesments for 2-2 1/2hours but this apparently its different as thats one on one! She was quick to name all the children on medication, had I thought of that? Am I a mother in denial or is my son just at the wrong school?
Concerned parent from OZ.
SHUMAILA - Apr 15, 2006
HI THERE MY SON IS 3 AND A HALF AND YES HE HAS A CONCENTRATION PROBLEM BECAUSE OF WHICH HE HAS NOT STARTER TO TALK . BUT HE UNDERRSTANDS EACH AND EVERY THIG I SAY AND EVEN TELLS IN HIS OWN WAY WITH ABOUT HARLDY 30 WORDS VACOBULARY WHAT HE WANTS BUT WHEN I SIT WITH HIM TO MAKE HIM LEARN ON ONE WRK AND CENCENTRATE ON WHAT I SAY HOW I AM SAYING HE JUST DONT PAY ATTTENTION AND HIS FACE BECOME TOTALY BLANK AND WHEN I PUT MORE EFFORT TO IT HE JUST BECOMES SLLEPY AND WHEN I AM TALK IGN TO HIM HE JUST SHOES AND HE IS NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME AND IT SEEMS THAT HE CANT EVEN WANT TO NOTICE ME I AM VERY TENSEDDDDDDD BECAUSE MY SON WILL START GOING TO SCHOOL AFTER 4 MONTHS HOW SHOULD I MAKE HIM TO CONCENTRATE AND TO PAY ATTENTION
PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE I DONT WANT HIM TO GO TO SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL PLEASE TELL ME SOMEHTING THAT I CAN WORK ON
Swati - Apr 17, 2006
Hi,
I have a son who is 3 yrs and 3 months old. he goes to a school and is currently in Junior Kindergarten. Although my son is very good in orals..i mean in singing etc. but still he doesnt seem to show any interest in siting in a place and coloring and tracing (wrting which they have recently introduced). HE just doesnt seem to be interested in coloring and writing.
WHereas other kids of his age or younger already have gained mastery and interest in coloring. Well..i am not comparing but still i am concerned that he shud perfiorm the things ideally for his age ..so that he performs good in his school.
Is this related to Concentration and Attention problem. Can you pls gide me.
ALso am currently in Singapore .where can i get a copy of the book WILL YOU PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.
Thanx
Kate Carey - Apr 28, 2006
I was so pleased to read this article and the comments made. My daughter is five years old and after two parents' evenings I have been left feeling quite depressed by the comments made about her teacher. At home my daughter is a vibrant, bright and inquisitve child who loves reading, being read to and finding out information. Mostly she enjoys talking about her learning and asking questions. At school, her teacher tells me she lacks concentration, has difficulty listening to instructions and can be often found wandering around the class without knowing what she is supposed to be doing. This greatly saddens me,particularly as my daughter is such a natural enthusiast.
I have talked to my daughter about things at school and socially she seems very happy and settled.
Is there anything I could do to help my daughter transfer her natural enthusiasm and motivation to the classroom?
Many thanks for reading this.
Kate Carey
Jaime - Sep 2, 2006
I need a copy of your book, Please Pay Attention. The locations you listed are very far from me, but I really feel this book could help my childrens teacher undersatnd that medication is not always the answer. Please reply.
Tracey - Sep 8, 2006
My 6 year old son has just completed his first week back at school. Like so many who have commmented my son began nursery as a bright and lively child but now dispite being above average intelligence seems to lack enthusiasnm and energy at school. He takes for ever with simple tasks like copying from the board or getting dressed at home and seems to have periods where his attention just wonders and he sits daydreaming. Any suggestions or helf appreciated.
Anna Power - Sep 10, 2006
My six year old son is a very bright and clever boy, he has excellent communication skills and is very well behaved at home,he enjoys maths alot and is quite a good reader,at home I have no problems with him, but at school it's a different story,he has trouble completing tasks and concentrating on his work,he doesn’t seem to settle as well,and his listening skills are alot different,his teacher says he doesnt pay enough attention etc..I never have this problem at home as he always does as he's asked,I just don't understand why he suddenly changes at school? please please send me your address or details so I can get a copy of your book 'Please pay attention' as I am very concerned for his future, thankyou very much. Anna Power
Wendy Butler - Sep 23, 2006
My son is in 7th grade is has been labeled AdHd for 6 years now. I've had teachers suggesting medication for 6 years. Now the medications don't seem to do the job they did when he was little. He feels like I'm trying to change him when I suggest medicine to help him concentrate. I hate that. He is very bright his teachers say, but won’t produce nor seems interested. I think he is not only bored but doesn't feel the need to please the teachers. He's comfortable with himself. He is extremely creative at home and will sit and watch the history channel all day if you let him. He's busy but not hyper anymore. I have had complaint after complaint of his lack care for school work or homework. I think once again he's just bored and believe I could stimulate his love of learning again teaching him myself at home. My husband disagrees and thinks he should be made to comply. Any suggestions? W. Butler, USA
Michelle - Nov 22, 2006
Please could you tell me where to get this book. After reading so many entries, of all differing ages and backgrounds I felt in touch with each and every parent whom had entered their plights and experiences.
I am a mother who's chilren range from 28 to 1 years old and it is my son of 9 who is giving cause for concern.
I will not go into detail, just that he has poor concentration levels, is very intelligent but has now taken to being the class clown. He has started to lie when confronted with his distraction from his tasks set and will respond to anyone who gives him eye contact or a signal that they wish to have interaction.
I have spoken to his teacher, who has many years experience under his belt and is widely respected and liked by other pupils, old and new, and he is of the same opinion as myself that either my son is bored, due to the structure of his curriculumn or has a deeper seated reason for his behaviour issues.
I have found my son crying on many occasions of late when his concentration issues have created difficulties at school and other children have asked not to sit near him as he distracts them. Other more scrupulous individuals seem to gain pleasure in baiting my son, which being a lovely natured child, he feels they are befriending him if they laugh at his expense, unfortunately he cannot see this and is downward sprilling into negative behaviour as the class clown.
I would like to give the book a good try if it can help him.
My son swims for a local swimming team and competes at a regional level, and although we have seen lapses of concentration, specifically when instruction is lengthy regarding technique or the why's and wherefore's, his concentration during the task at hand is fine and he loves the praise and positive element of the competative performance required of him, with little or no issues of behaviour or concentration.
My son is vibrant, bright, enthusiastic if not a little too bouncy and fidgety, but one of the nicest, kindest little lads around.
Please help me to help him with this one failing before it changes the whole outcome of peoples perceptions of him and his future is permanently blighted for lack of guidance.
Michelle
East Yorkshire
Karen - Dec 2, 2006
I recently had our parent teacher interview. It is a follow up to the report card. I found the report card negative, the written part. My son is 6 and in Grade 1. He received good marks in the subjects, but the teacher said he does not respect others, and does not take responsiblity for his own behaviour. Then she said he cooperates in group settings, and is a truthful and very bright child. All his class mates like him, but she said he chooses the wrong people to work with. She then said he made sexual comments and sexist remarks. I was stunned. Her example was that someone showed their bare back and he nudged his neighbor and laughed, is this sexual or sexiest or just plain silly. I told her I thought silly. Should I have a follow up to this with her and ask for clarification. My son is a complete innocent who does not yet know or asked many questions about anything pertaining to sexuality. He has lots of friends, no complaints from parents and has a good, kind nature. I am very upset by this, as I feel it puts conitations on myself, my husband and our home. Comments?
Emma - Oxford Learning - Dec 13, 2006
Hi Karen
I can understand your concerns! I would follow up with the teacher and ask for clarification about her comments. Your son is six and in grade one. These children are still very young and I don't feel that his behaviour was inappropriate. However, it is always best to clarify with the teacher and let her know your expectations too. It is good to try and keep these lines of communication open!
Let us know if we can be of further help.
Marie - Jan 10, 2007
My son has been diagnosed with a speech disorder, due to this he has been statemented. He's 5 and in year one of a main stream primary school. He loves school and appears to cope well.
He loves looking at books as well as watching telly, has a wonderful imagination when either playing with toys or dressing up. When doing something he wants he has lots of concentration and can be quite hard to reach. But on the other side of the coin, if he is not interested, its not the right time or I think if he doesn't understand why; his concentration level is minimal.
Due to his speech disorder he has a lot of catching up to do, and this is making things even harder. I just want whats best for him.
What can I do to help? The school are wonderful and are open to all ideas.
Emma - Oxford Learning - Jan 16, 2007
Hi Marie,
Believe it or not... you're not alone! Many children only concentrate on things that interest them. Particularly at this young age. In fact, many adults do aswell. I’m so glad that you have a school that is open to all ideas.. this will make your son's educational career much more enjoyable. The fact that you are aware of your son’s needs and are a great support is helping. There are a couple of things I would suggest, but I would love to send you more information, so if you could send an email to letstalk at oxfordlearning dot com with your postal address I will send you further information. Concentration is actually a learned behaviour, so you can teach your son how to concentrate. At home, it would help if you set aside short periods of time for him to concentrate on those things he's not so interested in. If you do it slowly…it will become a habit and he will realize (as he matures) that there are certain times that he really has to focus. Seeing as he also has a lot of catching up to do he’s probably feeling frustrated and overwhelmed himself, so even at school introducing short blocks of "work time" and slowly increasing the frequency should make it less stressful. I hope this helps Marie! Keep us updated!
Emma - Oxford Learning educator
HEKIMA MRUNDA - Jan 18, 2007
I HAVE A FOUR YEAR BOY WHO HAS BEEN REPORTED BY HIS TEACHER TO LACK CONCENTRATION.AM WORRIED BECAUSE I HAVE TWO OTHER OLDER BOYS WHO HAVE DONE QUITE WELL WITHOUT SUCH REPORTS.I HAVE SEEN THE BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED FOR SUCH PROBLEM "WILL YOU PLEASE PAY ATTENSION" ,KINDLY ADVICE ME ON HOW TO GET IT AS I AM IN MOMBASA-KENYA.
[Editor - Hekima, we've sent out the book]
amanda fay - Jul 5, 2007
hello, i have a 3 year old son whos teacher has commented that he lacks concentration in large group times,she says he goes off into his own little world,he is a very bright little boy and at home looks at books and his imagination is great,he can spend hours being a firefighter.i though his concentration was good or his age but the teacher thinks not.he has to sit near an adult at school to keep him interested and they have to encourage him to join in!
is their anything i can do to help sort this concentration problem out?if you talk about fire engines ect he will concentrate all day,i dont think school make it exciting enough for children to want to learn!!
Candace - Sep 20, 2007
My son is 7 and in grade 3. Ever since kindergarten my son has had trouble completing tasks with the same speed as other students. Again this year his concentration is an issue.
My son is very vocal and really enjoys school. He loves to read but especially enjoys math. He began doing multiplication 9 months ago. His other love is music. This summer, he had an indepth chat with my friend about The Four Seasons and composers. I'm at a loss. I believe he's a bright boy, but quite often feel that others don't see this. His teacher is leaning toward ADD. Any thoughts?
Jucil - Nov 7, 2007
Hello there! Greetings from Dubai.
I have daughter and she's 3 1/2 years old. She is in pre-school. Her teacher assess her that my daughter is easily getting boared, lack of centration /interest to the lesson everyday. They have a lesson "handwriting is fun" teacher always correcting her in the book that she needs to be perfect the connecting line. I try my very best to teach my daughter in the afternoon whatever the lesson has been taken in the day. But it seems she like to keep repeating on and on. At her age shes remembering whatever you have said and the places shes been visited.
Any help you can advise to help my daughter? I would appreciate if could have a copy of the book.
Thank you and you can email @ jhuevas@gmail.com
Deborah - Dec 10, 2007
Hi today I was told by my 7 year old sons teacher that he may have ADD and perhaps is not suited to "this system" as he does not conform to what is required and that there are other systems out there he maybe better suited to. He has problems in paying attention in class and whilst all the other boys are doing their work he looks around to see who is doing what and when anyone passes by his desk pokes and prods them. A lot of what I hear seems to me to be normal child behaviour, but I don't want to dismiss his teachers comments.
Every day is a new problem, he either completes very little work in the class choosing lots of ways to waste time or he does his work (not all) and his behaviour is silly things like throwing bits of rubber around the class, throwing pencils in the air. He is learning well and seems to show some intelligence but just has days of feeling not bothered to do school work.
At home whilst he at times plays about with doing tasks, he can do them without issue on other occassions. I have a routine which I try to keep to, in order to give a balance between learning time (Homework) and free time. How can I try to get him to treat school as seriously as his teachers would like? should I be worried as I really don't think he has ADD.
Thanks, Deborah
Emma Schultz - Mar 26, 2008
My son Edward is 6 yrs old and has problems concentrating, reading, writing and many other physical thins such as running, using a knife and fork and others. It seems he has Dyspraxia, but his main problem seems to be the concentration, when he does concentrate his skills seem to be improving but I spoke to his special teacher and she says he needs more help as the progress is so slow. I am really worried about all this I don't want him wrongly labeled, please reccomend a book or anything that may help.
Emma (ianem.schultz@ntlworld.com)
Emma - Oxford Learning Educator - Mar 27, 2008
Hi Emma,
I will email you and get your postal address. We have a couple of different publications related to attention that I can send you. I also recommend contacting your local Dyspraxia foundation. They could have a local support group and they can also provide you with books and literature about daily life with a child who has been diagnosed with Dyspraxia.
Best of Luck,
Emma Cecchin
Amanda - Mar 27, 2008
My son is nearly six years old. At home, he is bright, enthusiastic and interested in many different subjects, especially Science. He has been playing chess since he was four and spends ages building intricate lego inventions. He can sit for hours listening to stories and learning new information from encyclopedia. He also engages in lengthy imaginary play with his friends. At school, however, he does not concentrate, his performance is erratic, he often refuses to comply with the teachers' requests and hardly ever finishes tasks. A phrase often used by the teachers is 'he is away with the fairies'. He does have convergence insufficiency and glue ear but the teachers (and I) do not think that is the main problem. He says he finds writing boring and just wants to do a little bit of easy work. He can't wait for break times so he can play with his friends. The teachers want him assessed for autism and ADHD. I would like an independent assessment because although I am concerned about his behaviour at school I am also worried about the possibility of misdiagnosis. Surely, symptoms of autism and ADHD have to be present in more than one setting, not just school? Do you think home education could be a solution?
Elizabeth - Jun 20, 2008
I have the same story as Amanda.Or
should i say Amanda talking about my son. NO, that can be. Only too
much similarity in the characters of the two boys.
My boy is 9 years old.I'm also worry about the possibility of misdiagnosis.Because the scool teacher want him assessed for autism and ADHD.
Tracey - Jun 25, 2008
I have son, aged 8, who is as bright as a button, very articulate, interacts well. As an only child he also amuses his self very well. After a parents evening we are devastated and left not knowing what to do next for the best because in all subjects he is below average and the teachers feel it is all due to lack of concentration and short attention span. They have not indentified any specifics except he has got to improve or he will be left behind. Any advice on how to achieve this would be really appreciated.
Pam - Jun 27, 2008
The comments on ADHD by Dr. Whitehead seem quite uninformed! There are several forms of ADHD, and many symptoms. Not all people with ADHD have difficulty concentrating. I have ADHD (diagnosed at age 44) and so does my son (diagnosed at age 14). We are both highly intelligent. ADHD has caused us to be disorganized, to focus too much on small details (which wastes enormous amonts of time), and to different degrees we become overwhelmed and unable to function comfortably in noisy, busy environments. Fidgeting and a lack of self-control are also hallmarks of the disorder. Nobody in the world could teach me how to concentrate at the times when I can't begin to read more than a sentence on a page, but at other tiomes I can concentrate for hours. Ritalin and Concerta have been wonderful, and my son is receiving the support he needs at high school through the resource teacher (he does tests in the resource room, is allowed to use a laptop in class for note-taking, and has continuous reminders for organization and scheduling). Who knows why there are so many kids being diagnosed with ADHD now, but let's not dismiss it as over-diagnosing. If I was diagnosed and treated as a teenager, I could have achieved far more than I have in my life.
Catherine - Jul 13, 2008
Hi
I'd be really grateful for some advice. My daughter is eleven and was diagnosed with complex partial absence seizures at the age of eight, which responded well to medication (Epilim) and was weaned off all medication about a year ago. Her school reports are consistently noting her lack of concentration and I would appreciate knowing whether this should have resolved along with her epilepsy or whether this is a learned behaviour. We have tried Omega fish oils, earlier bedtime, reading etc but I am struggling to know what to do next. Please advise if possible
Many thanks
Catherine
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