Attention and Concentration: Understanding and Supporting Attentional Difficulties
Attention is the ability to select relevant information and maintain focus despite distractions. A fundamental cognitive function, it conditions all learning. Attentional difficulties, whether related to ADHD or other causes, can be significantly improved through environmental adaptations and appropriate strategies.
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The Different Types of Attention
Attention is not a unitary function but a set of distinct processes that can be affected differently depending on individuals. Understanding these different types allows for better targeting of difficulties and interventions.
| Type of Attention | Description | Classroom Example | Typical Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustained attention | Maintaining attention for a long period | Listening to a 30-minute lesson | Gets distracted after a few minutes |
| Selective attention | Focusing on a target despite distractors | Working despite classroom noise | Distracted by the slightest noise |
| Divided attention | Processing two sources of information simultaneously | Listening and taking notes | Cannot do both |
| Alternating attention | Switching from one task to another effectively | Switching from reading to calculation | Difficulty "changing modes" |
| Alertness/Vigilance | Being ready to react to a stimulus | Waiting for the signal to start | Reacts too slowly or impulsively |
🔬 Attentional Networks
Neuroscience distinguishes three brain networks for attention: the alerting network (arousal, vigilance), the orienting network (spatial selection), and the executive control network (conflict resolution, inhibition). These networks can be affected differently depending on the disorder.
Attention Development
Attentional capacities develop progressively with brain maturation, particularly of the prefrontal cortex. Here are the major milestones:
| Age | Typical Duration of Sustained Attention | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 years | 3-5 minutes | Attention captured by novelty, highly distractible |
| 4-5 years | 5-10 minutes | Beginning of voluntary control, but still limited |
| 6-8 years | 10-20 minutes | Improvement in selective attention |
| 9-12 years | 20-30 minutes | More elaborate attentional strategies |
| Adolescence | 30-45 minutes | Capacities similar to adults (but variability) |
These durations are averages that depend heavily on motivation, interest in the task, and context. A child can stay focused for 2 hours on a video game but get distracted after 5 minutes on a boring school exercise.
Causes of Attentional Difficulties
⚠️ Inattention Is Not Always ADHD
Numerous causes can explain attention difficulties:
- ADHD: neuropsychiatric disorder with inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity
- Fatigue / lack of sleep: frequent and often underestimated cause
- Anxiety / worries: intrusive thoughts capture attention
- Sensory disorders: undetected vision or hearing problems
- Learning disorders: a dyslexic child may lose focus during reading
- Boredom / lack of motivation: task too easy or too difficult
- Inadequate environment: too many distractions, excessive stimulation
- Medical causes: absence epilepsy, sleep apnea, etc.
Signs of Attentional Difficulties
At School
- Seems "in the clouds", daydreaming
- Does not finish their work
- Makes careless errors (forgetting, omissions)
- Loses or forgets their materials
- Difficulty following instructions
- Gets distracted by noises, movements
- Avoids tasks requiring sustained mental effort
- Messy, careless work
At Home
- Forgets instructions given
- Difficulty organizing their things, their room
- Starts multiple activities without finishing them
- Often loses their belongings
- Difficulty with routines (getting ready in the morning)
Adapting the Environment
Even before working on the child's attentional capacities, it is essential to optimize the environment to reduce distractions and facilitate concentration.
🪑 Strategic Seating in Class
Close to the teacher, away from windows and the door, next to a calm student. Facing the board rather than in the middle of the class. Avoid high-traffic areas.
📦 Clear Desk
On the desk: only the materials needed for the current task. Put away the rest. Unnecessary visual stimuli capture attention and divert it from the task.
🔇 Reduce Noise
Noise-canceling headphones can be useful for individual work. Be aware of background noises (ventilation, fluorescent lights, hallway) that are no longer noticed but still demand attention.
🎯 Define the Workspace
A privacy screen or isolated desk corner can help focus attention. Some children work better in a "closed" space that limits their visual field.
Pedagogical Strategies
Structure Time
- Use a visual timer to materialize the duration of activities
- Alternate effort and relaxation phases
- Announce duration and schedule: "We'll work for 10 minutes, then break"
- Break large tasks into short stages
Capture and Maintain Attention
- Vary supports and modalities (oral, visual, hands-on)
- Use the child's name before giving an instruction
- Establish eye contact before speaking
- Short and clear instructions, one at a time
- Have them rephrase instructions
Encourage Active Engagement
- Ask frequent questions to maintain engagement
- Offer active roles (distributing, timekeeping...)
- Use response tools (whiteboard, response cards)
- Allow movement when possible
The Role of Movement
Movement is not the enemy of attention—quite the opposite. For many children, particularly those with ADHD, movement helps maintain attention.
🏃 Active Breaks
Integrate regular movement breaks (every 15-20 minutes): stretching, jumping, running in place. These breaks recharge attentional capacities rather than exhaust them.
🎯 Fidgets and Sensory Objects
Allow the use of manipulable objects (stress ball, elastic band under the desk, dynamic cushion). Discreet movement can help some children concentrate better.
🚶 Move to Learn
Integrate movement into learning: writing while walking, multiplication tables while jumping, educational motor courses. A body in motion can help the brain encode.
Attention Exercises
Targeted exercises can help become aware of attentional processes and develop strategies. However, research shows that transfer to everyday situations is often limited: environmental adaptations remain more effective.
Visual Attention
- Search and find: locate elements in a complex image
- Spot the difference games: compare two similar images
- Mazes: follow a path without getting lost
- Cancellation tasks: cross out targets among distractors
Auditory Attention
- Listening to instructions: execute sequences of instructions
- Sound detection: raise hand when hearing a target sound
- Stories with errors: spot mistakes in a familiar story
Inhibitory Control
- Simon Says: execute only instructions preceded by the phrase
- Red light/Green light: stop and go on signal
- Stroop: name the ink color, not the word
Our Downloadable Tools
⏱️ Visual Timer
Essential tool for materializing the passage of time. Helps structure work periods and breaks. Various formats available.
Download🏃 Active Break Cards
Short movement activities (1-3 minutes) to insert between concentration periods. Illustrated and easy to implement.
Download👁️ Visual Attention Exercises
Search and find worksheets, spot the difference, mazes, and cancellation tasks. Various difficulty levels for all ages.
Download👂 Auditory Attention Exercises
Instructions to listen to and execute, sound detection, sequences to reproduce. For working on active listening.
DownloadFrequently Asked Questions
Attention exercises generally improve performance on trained tasks, but transfer to everyday life (classroom, homework) is often limited. Environmental adaptations (reducing distractions, structuring time, integrating movement) are generally more effective for improving real-world functioning.
Yes, it could still be an attention problem. Video games are designed to capture attention: immediate rewards, intense stimulation, constant feedback. School requires voluntary attention on less stimulating tasks. This dissociation is very typical of ADHD. It's not a lack of willpower.
Screens probably don't cause attention disorders, but excessive exposure can worsen difficulties: habituation to rapid stimulation, lower tolerance for boredom, reduced time for other activities. It is recommended to limit screen time, especially in the evening, and to favor activities requiring sustained attention.
Consult if attention difficulties are persistent (not just a rough patch), present in multiple contexts (school AND home), and significantly impact functioning (learning, relationships). The doctor will refer for a neuropsychological assessment if needed to evaluate possible ADHD or another disorder.
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Discover all tools →Article written by the DYNSEO team in collaboration with neuropsychologists. Last updated: December 2024.