Are you looking for hacks to improve your child’s attentions span? If so, keep reading.
1. Assess the degree of task difficulty to ascertain whether the student will require additional information, time, assistance, etc., before starting a task.
2. Make sure the student knows what to look for when reading (e.g., main characters, main ideas, the sequence of activities, etc.).
3. Select a peer tutor to work with the student to model appropriate work habits.
4. Refrain from seating the student near people with whom they may be enticed to talk during lectures, assemblies, group projects, etc.
5. Let the student have the choice of working on the task at another time (e.g., earlier/later in the day, on another day, or at home) when they will be able to concentrate better.
6. Provide instructions in an assortment of ways to enable the student’s comprehension (e.g., if the student fails to understand oral instructions, present them in written form).
7. Choose a specific duration of time (e.g., the last five minutes of each hour, transitioning from one task to another, after finishing a task, etc.) when it is permissible for the student to converse with peers.
8. Give simple, concrete instructions.
9. Give the student encouragement when they are off-task (e.g., move near the student, speak to the student, etc.).
10. Get the student to find a peer who has the capacity and ability to remain on-task. Train the student to observe that person and try to model the behaviors that let them maintain attention.
11. Split the student from peers who may be encouraging or stimulating unacceptable behavior.
12. Make sure the student is paying attention to the source of information (e.g., eye contact is being made, hands are free of learning materials, student is looking at the task, etc.).
13. Attempt several groupings in the classroom to ascertain the situation in which the student is most successful concentrating.
14. Designate short-term projects that can be quickly finished.
15. Consider using assistive technology designed to help students to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to concentrate. Click here to view list of assistive technology apps that we recommend.
