Increasing Focus with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
By Jeffrey Gallup, MA LPC-S NCC CFMHE
Your child's ability to focus, maintain concentration, and get work completed is a significant factor in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a significant stressor for school-age children. Beyond working with a therapist familiar with ADHD, what can a parent do at home to help their child? Homework can take hours to complete, your child's room is never clean, chores never seem to be done, and you often get upset, angry, and stressed as a parent. Your child can learn to focus on environmental changes and how you interact with them. Both you and your child can feel less stress and less anger and have a better relationship.
Tips for Helping Neurodivergent Children Focus
Use the Pomodoro Method to Help Kids Regulate Neurodivergent Energy
An idea to get homework done is to utilize a kitchen timer and divide the task or assignment into small segments. Set the kitchen timer for a specific time, such as 10 minutes, and then have your student start their homework. When the timer rings, set the timer for two minutes. Let them goof off or take a break for those two minutes, then reset the timer for 10 minutes and have them get back to work on their task. You can do this for several 10 minutes at work and two minutes of distraction.
Change the amount of time for work and distraction as is necessary for your child. After a group of four 10-minute sessions set the timer for 10 to 15 minutes and allow your child to take a more extended break from their homework. If they complete the task before the 10-minute timer rings, allow them their two-minute break and start them on the next piece of the job.
The Pomodoro Method Has Multiple Uses for Neurodivergent Children
This can be utilized for homework, chores, at school with a teacher's cooperation, and to teach your child to increase their focus. After a time, they will naturally learn the 10-minute / 2-minute cycle. You can use the timer to extend their 10-minute periods until their focus is developmentally similar to their peers.
Practicing Mindfulness Can Help Immensely
Help your student focus by removing distractions in their environment, mainly when you are talking to them or trying to complete an errand. Remind them to focus on one thing at a time. Create a quiet corner where they can achieve their homework or read a book. Keep the quiet corner away from traffic. Make the quiet corner a place where the child will want to work, and do not use it as a negative consequence or punishment for timeouts.
Make sure to remove distractions from that particular part of your house. You could post a sign indicating that that is the quiet corner, and you can ask for your child's help in making the quiet corner, so they are part of the process. You can also provide earplugs or headphones in a quiet corner if your child is acutely distracted by outside noise.
Structure and Routine That Works For Neurodivergent Kids Can Make All the Difference
Creating structure and having a routine helps to engender focus. A set time for getting up, getting to school time, schoolwork, meals, and bedtime will help your child understand what they should be focused on throughout the day. Then they can become used to the routine and complete things as they come up through the day. If your child has abundant energy, experiment with some active playtime before trying to do a quiet activity. Please keep it simple, do not ask your child to do too much at once; many children have difficulty remembering more than 2 to 3 jobs at any time.
Positive Reinforcement Matters for The Good, Bad, & Neutral
Often children get attention when they are doing something wrong, and children with ADHD seem to be corrected more often than other children. Make sure to focus on your child's positive aspects and the things they are doing right. Find ways to focus on things that they do right or something that they do well. Small stickers, high-fives, and saying great job with enthusiasm are all simple, easy ways to show your child praise and positive reinforcement. Positively reinforcing, staying focused, or getting homework done makes your child feel good and creates a situation where they want to continue to receive the positive reinforcement.
Patience and Positivity are Key for Working with Neurodivergent Kids and Focus
ADHD can be a frustrating and challenging experience for parents and children as they become frustrated by the lack of focus or academic problems. Working hard to focus on positive aspects, creating structure, removing distractions, and using timers can significantly help your child focus and complete work. A knowledgeable pediatrician or therapist can be a wealth of information to help you maintain and manage your child's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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