(Part 2 of 2)

The Two Vital Skills Affecting Success in School and Career:  Focus Span and Attention

In Part 1, we covered the common issue of children having trouble paying attention in school. In this section we will cover focus problems.

Impatience and Hyperactivity

Children who have symptoms of impulsivity may:

• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games
• Often interrupt conversations or others’ activities.

Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

Problems in School

If your child has a few of these or the previous symptoms, but not to excess, speak with your child’s teacher to fully understand the issue and possible patterns to obtain a full picture of what is going on in the classroom, which you may, or may not view at home.

Second, ask their teacher for suggestions on how you and your extended family, or child care, can manage these problems before things worsen.

Children’s Focus Problems may Cause Employment Performance Issues as Adult

Employment and Attention Span

Every job requires some or an intense amount of concentration. At the minimum, jobs necessitate listening in meetings and avoiding fidgeting to be seen as credible, according to workplace body language expert Carol Kinsey Goman.

Of course, working attentively, and staying on task to completion are obviously vital to keeping your job. While these skills may seem like basic employment requirements, these imperative productivity skills remain challenging to many employers who have performance-based problems with employees.

Improve Concentration

One parent came to the ALOHA Mind Math Center in Irvine, California to get help for his two children. The younger boy had difficulties sitting still and staying in his seat, which not only disrupted his concentration in school and classmates learning, but also affected his ability to do his homework.

“The owner and staff at the Irvine ALOHA Mind Math Center are passionate and dedicated to creating an optimum learning environment. Since they opened a year ago, my son and daughter have been coming here for help them concentrate better and do math (calculations) fast. The good thing is the teachers and Mrs. Frany doesn’t pressure them or the kids. They respect each child’s own pace.

Mrs. Frany, really cares about each of her students. She and her staff are dedicated to supporting my son’s confidence, and I can see he is getting better little by little, over time.” He says both of his children have made exceptional progress. “I’m very amazed with the results… They’re both doing great.”

He pauses, smiles, before adding, “In fact, my daughter, the oldest, does some long calculations faster than me now! And she keeps improving more and more!