Staying "on task" is one of the hardest things for a child with ADHD to do. There's a simple, inexpensive tool that might help: a timer.

"Anytime you begin working on a project or task, set the timer. As a rule, you should set the timer every time you direct your attention to a screen (computer, BlackBerry, PDA). ...

When the timer goes off, ask yourself Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? If not, [you can] get back on track." [Source: Cedar Rapids Examiner]

The sound of a timer can help refocus child who gets distracted, and can be especially helpful for children with competitive natures.

Labels: focus, attention

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A study that will appear in the March issue of Pediatrics has found that foster children who are placed in loving, stable homes have fewer issues with attention and impulsivity.

• The study was conducted through the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
• The study followed 252 children in 95 families for four years.
• Researchers talked with biological parents, foster parents, teachers and the children themselves.
• Most interesting and encouraging to researches was the affect environment had on symptoms related to ADHD  a disorder with proven biological components.

"Children whose parents reported higher parental warmth  how much do the parents like the child, how much affection the parent reports toward the child, how much time they spend together  showed fewer ADHD symptoms," HealthDay News reported, "while children whose parents reported hostility  being annoyed at the child, thinking the child a burden, being angry at the child  showed more ADHD symptoms."

Labels: attention, impulsivity, foster care

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Researchers at the University of Illinois have confirmed previous studies which concluded that exposure to green spaces has a calming effect on children with ADHD. The studies found that time spent outdoors improved both attention and impulse control.

An Oct. 17 article by Mary Helen Jones of the Henderson (NC) Daily Dispatch provided the following details about this discovery:

The "degree of green" appears to matter with greater effects from the greenest or most wilderness-like environment.

A walk in the forest trumps a walk in the park or playing organized sports in recreational park fields. Park experiences reap better results than a walk in a neighborhood or downtown area. "Green" play more effectively reduced ADHD symptoms than active play in a gym or play on paved surfaces. ...

According to researcher Frances E. Kuo, "as little as 20 minutes of outdoor exposure could potentially buy you an afternoon or a couple of hours to get homework done."

Labels: attention, impulsivity, environment

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A mechanical engineering grad student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a vest that may help children with ADHD. The vest, which can also be used for adults, delivers deep pressure touch stimulation (DPTS) to the wearer.

"Occupational therapists working with children suffering from autism, ADHD and sensory processing disorders have observed that DPTS can increase attention to tasks and reduce anxiety and harmful behaviors by providing different sensory stimuli."

In clinical studies, Brian Mullen's vest was preferred over the more traditional weighted blankets. Mullen has developed a concept business called Therapeutic Systems, through which he hopes to further develop and market the vest. Source: News Max

Labels: attention, stimulation, sensory_processing_disorder

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Independent Educational Psychologist Dr. Nigel Mellor issued a mild warning last week that some kids who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD may simply be seeking attention.

"The researcher said there are many behaviors which can be observed during attention seeking interactions. Behaviors commonly associated with ADHD (over activity, poor concentration and impulsivity) can appear within attention seeking behavior."

Dr. Mellor's research on the subject focused in part on 15 schools and last for three years, during which time he determined that it is possible to distinguish between attention seeking and ADHD, which allows children to be treated more specifically and more appropriately.

Labels: behavior, attention, diagnosis

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A special education teacher in Manhattan has developed a unique way of teaching her kids to pay attention. A pre-recorded chime is played four times during her class, and students with attention problems are asked to record - on a scale of 0 to 4 - how much they were paying attention when the chime sounded.

"The students average and compile these results from their 'Attention Monitoring Check Sheets' monthly, graph their attention spans, and set goals for the next month."

The Manhattan teacher has seen excellent results from this practice. Students become aware of the times when they're more likely to be distracted, and they have a visual representation of their improvement.

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Labels: attention, teachers, classrooms

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Professor Torkel Klingberg of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology recently conducted a study that measured the working memory (WM) functions of children with ADHD. Working memory is a common problem for people with ADHD and Dr. Klingberg's study explored the connection between WM problems and other ADHD symptoms.

"In a preliminary study, Klingberg found that a training of WM tasks can enhance executive functioning including working memory, response inhibition and reasoning in children with ADHD. The [follow-up] trial included 53 children with ADHD and revealed a significant treatment effect both at intervention and follow-up."

The results of both studies seem to indicate that systematic development of working memory in children with ADHD helps reduce other symptoms both during the treatment and up to three months afterwards. Parents of the children who were involved in the study also reported a significant decrease in their children's symptoms.

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Labels: attention, treatment, memory

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A New Zealand longitudinal study of 1000 children found that watching more television than average was linked to inability to pay attention.

Dr. Robert Hancox and his colleagues at the University of Otago had parents and older children keep track of how much television a child watched at ages three, five, eleven, thirteen and fifteen. The average amount was two hours per day for younger children, and three hours for teenagers. Children who watched more than those amounts tended to have problems focusing and paying attention.

Dr. Hancox and others theorize that television watching may influence brain development. Another explanation might be that the fast pace of television shows makes reality boring for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no more than two hours per day, and that children under age two years watch no television at all.

This study appears in the September 2007 issue of Pediatrics magazine.

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Labels: attention, tv_watching, development

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The University of Virginia has been studying the driving habits of teenagers with ADHD. In an effort to find ways of making driving safer, they tested the performance of teenage boys when driving both manual and automatic transmission cars.

"The results show that the teens drove twice as better on a manual car than an automatic one. 'When I'm driving my manual I have to pay attention to the road more...' said Cory Cox, a teen driver."

Teens with ADHD are at risk of becoming inattentive while driving, increasing the danger to both themselves and others.

Read more at CharlottesvilleNewsPlex.tv.

Labels: attention, teens, driving

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Scientists at Yale University found a link between smoking and a teen's ability to pay attention and focus on tasks involving hearing and sight.

Teens whose mothers smoked during pregnancy performed the worst on a series of tests that evaluate the ability to understand visual and auditory cues. Teens who smoked themselves did better, but those teens who never smoked and who were not exposed to prenatal smoke scored the best.

Exposure to smoke affected male auditory development, but it affected both auditory and visual development in girls.

Dr. Leslie K. Jacobsen of Yale University School of Medicine said, "The present findings underscore the importance of developing smoking prevention programs that target women of childbearing age." About 16 percent of pregnant women are smokers.

Labels: focus, attention, smoking

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For many students with ADHD, one of the biggest challenges in school is the struggle to stay focused. Their minds wander, they get anxious, and they have a hard time paying attention. Many of them fidget, which is seen as a symptom of the ADHD. But fidgeting and doodling may actually help some kids focus.

The theory is that nobody can focus 100% of their working memory and attention to a single task, there is always a little bit of floating attention keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. …

Researchers have found that one way that ADHD children cope with these distractions is to unconsciously give their floating attention a nice mindless task, like fidgeting, swinging and fiddling. [Source: LifeHacker]

So, rather than insisting that your child sit still and “stay focused,” take time to observe his behavior. You might find that his idle doodling is actually beneficial.

Labels: students, focus, attention

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