Attentiveness continues to develop well into adulthood. Some children need more support than their peers when it comes to challenges with concentration.
Struggling with the ability to concentrate manifests differently at different ages and in different environments. Issues can become evident in everyday life as difficulty following instructions, forgetting things or items, hyperactivity, or becoming preoccupied with one's own thoughts. The challenges are often more pronounced in informal situations.
These difficulties can frustrate and distress the child and lower their self-esteem and interest in school.
It is essential that the child is able to focus their attention on what is relevant to the activity. There are many ways in which school and home can help.
Read more about school-aged child's concentration and executive functions
Concentration requires the right conditions
The situation and the environment affect how well a child can do what adults want them to do. A child with concentration challenges is often either overstimulated or understimulated in their environment. Severe fatigue, excessive screen time and busy working environments can all contribute to disturbances for your child.
When adults talk about a child's concentration challenges, the hope is often that the child's behaviour will change to match the demands of the environment. However, the solution is often also found in the environment – not just in the child's behaviour.
Before planning support measures, it is important that adults in the school pause to recognise how the environment and different situations affect the child's ability to concentrate.
Parents and teachers often think that requirements and rules should be as similar as possible for all children. Similar upbringing reinforces the innate differences between children who are different from each other. Concessions and flexibility can therefore be seen as equal education.
Support measures at school
Your child's natural characteristics influence how much effort it takes them to adapt to the demands at school. Even when the learning environment takes children’s specific needs into consideration, there are still demands to be met.
Research suggests that a child's attentiveness develops best when adults give them clear instructions and reward desirable behaviour. Teachers should support the child systematically throughout the school day, offer tailored help and give immediate feedback both on successes and on what should be improved.
Your child does not need a diagnosis to receive support from in classes or from the pupil welfare services. You will be involved in the planning of support measures together with the teacher and often also with the school psychologist. A school psychologist may be particularly necessary if the child has struggled with concentration for a long time and the issues have been present in multiple environments and are detrimental to the child's wellbeing.
The school psychologist will assess the child's symptoms and find out what factors at school and at home are contributing to their challenges and behaviour. Be honest and open about the situation, including things you could do at home to improve your child's ability to concentrate.
When to seek ADHD testing?
School support measures do not require a diagnosis – quite the contrary. Before neurological examinations are carried out, other causes affecting the child’s concentration must first be ruled out. The support the child receives and the findings on the adequacy of support help to identify the different factors that contribute to the child's challenges.
The diagnosis of a neurological disorder is based on a doctor's assessment of the cause of the symptoms. If you find that the support measures provided are not sufficient to meet your child's needs, gather observations from home over a longer period of time and also ask the school for records. A doctor cannot make a diagnosis if only one source reports symptoms or symptoms only occur in one environment.
A diagnosis is only necessary if you want your child to try medication, and the circumstances justify it in the doctor's opinion.
