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Attention is the ability to focus on a specific task without being distracted. Strong Attention skills support academic success, as students learn better when attending to materials or activities relevant to their goals. Importantly, attentional control often varies based on the context, including interest in the topic, task difficulty, and task duration. Attentional control continues to develop in childhood in tandem with executive functioning, and can be supported by practice.
There are several different types of Attention:
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is multi-faceted and often presents with differential patterns of attentional control. These behaviors can manifest differently for different individuals and over time, including restlessness (hyperactivity or overactivity) or inattentiveness, impairments in inhibitory control or Working Memory, and can result in delays in Self-Regulation. Children with ADHD often have difficulty with academic (e.g., keeping track of assignments, managing complex tasks, etc.), social (taking turns, reading social cues, etc.), and adaptive (e.g., managing time) behavior. These difficulties are related to delayed maturation of certain regions of the brain, as well as differences in brain structure and neural networks in students with ADHD.
How the classroom environment is organized is important for how students use their attentional resources. Children attend as much (or more) to off-task stimuli, therefore heavily decorated classrooms may disrupt young children's Attention to on-task behavior, resulting in fewer learning gains. Additionally, a sense of Safety can play an influential role in Attention. Students who do not feel safe in their school, neighborhood, or home, or are victims of bullying tend to experience stress and anxiety, which can negatively affect their ability to pay attention in school. Teachers can support their students' Attention in a number of ways, including organizing their classrooms to minimize distractions, creating breaks for movement, incorporating checks for understanding, and creating a safe and positive classroom climate by building strong, trust-based relationships.
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