(This is the last of a 4 part series.)
Many educators who follow brain research believe that there are four "Learning Gates" that need to be properly functioning for a child to have an easy time learning.
The Four "Learning Gates" are:
1. Visual processing
2. Visual/motor processing (writing)
3. Auditory processing
4. Focus/attention processing
This article will review information regarding the fourth learning gate:
Focus/Attention Processing:When a child is having to use too much energy to keep his mind on his work, then that is the area that is a learning block to him. This child often has a body chemistry that is upset, and can be changed with simple methods at home. At times a parent finds that working with a professional
in this area is most helpful.
Often a parent will say of such a child: “He can focus on movies, video games, or Legos for hours, but can't focus on his schoolwork for more than five minutes.” It is important to realize what is going on, so we don’t become frustrated with this type of child. Movies, video games, or Legos require little energy because children find them interesting and undemanding. On the other hand, a history or math lesson requires much more effort on the child’s part. If the child has an “energy leak” in a certain area, then he will have to work much harder to remain focused. Therefore it is important to determine whether a child is struggling with an academic task because of an actual learning block, which causes task avoidance (because of its difficulty), or a
focusing problem.
Many times these children are struggling with sensory integration issues that
make them look unfocused.We’ll look at the characteristics of a child struggling with a focus issue, and a child struggling with sensory integration issues separately, even though they often overlap.
The official terms that are often used for children who have difficulty remaining focused on a task that they are capable of doing are
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).ADD refers to a child who is not acting out or moving around, and can even look attentive during a task, but is generally absorbed in his own thoughts and daydreams to the point that he gets little done in the amount of time allotted.
A child who is thought to be ADHD is generally hyperactive. This child has a motor that is always running that he
seems incapable of controlling. He does everything in a hurry, and some part of his body always appears to be moving, which keeps him quite distracted.
The hyperactive child (not just hyper-fidgety) is usually easy to spot in a group. The inattentive child, on the other hand, is not easy to spot. This child just appears to be slow in finishing work, or in following directions. He or she may seem lazy or uncooperative.
In a homeschool setting we do not have to focus on labels, or official diagnoses most of the time. We just need to discover if the child we are working with exhibits enough symptoms to warrant further exploration on this topic. In homeschooling we can focus on the solution, rather than a label.
Since learning is all about energy output, we should ask ourselves why a child has to expend more energy to remain focused on a task than his or her siblings. Once this question is answered, then the action becomes clear.
ADD Checklist
- Distractibility
- No persistence with a task
- Inconsistency in performance from one day to another
- Excessive daydreaming during a school related task
- Needs to have mom next to him or her in order to finish work
- Forgetfulness (of previously learned material, daily plans, etc.)
ADHD Checklist
A child struggling with the more active form of a focusing issue will display some of these characteristics:
- Excess motor activity (something is always moving)
- Impulsiveness (acts without thinking much of the time)
- Insatiability (never satisfied with an activity)
- Poor response to discipline
- Moodiness
- Sleep disturbances (very restless sleeper)
Informal EvaluationThe difficulty with determining if your child has a focusing issue is that parents often do not have a strong basis of comparison if they only have one other child at home who is homeschooling.
Thus, it is important to solicit information and observations from the other adults in the child’s life who works with him in both an academic and non-academic setting.Remember, that to be a real focusing issue, the symptoms must present themselves in more than one setting.
It is important to differentiate between a child whose main problem is focusing, from a child who is exhibiting task avoidance because of academic struggles. For example, if your child’s Sunday School teacher says that he or she listens attentively to lessons, and participates lively in the discussions that follow, but “gets silly” or doesn’t complete assigned worksheets, you can consider that this child has a learning glitch instead of a focusing problem.
The child with difficulty focusing frequently does not attend to orally presented information enough to participate well in the ensuing discussion.
On the other hand, if your child’s karate teacher says that he needs to continually redirect your child’s attention during lessons (those that are very active and hands-on), you might consider that this child is struggling to maintain focus when his peers do not need to expend any energy for this task.
How You Can Determine if Your Child Has a Focusing Issue
- Checklists, such as the one above help identify a child with an issue.
- Pediatricians can help decipher the observations you have of your child.
- Conners Behavior Scale, or BASC can be obtained by your physician. These are informal questionnaires to be completed by parents and other adults who work with your child in an academic setting. The results are calibrated to determine if the child is merely at risk of an attention problem, or actually is showing attention problem symptoms in more than one setting.
- Sunday School teachers, co-op teachers leaders, and other adults who work with your children can help determine if he or she is experiencing a problem.
Resources for Correction
There are two ways that children who have to expend more energy than their peers to focus can be helped. One way is to use compensation, and the other is to employ correction of the problem.
Since it takes time for any correctional program to work, we really need to do both procedures. We compensate for the problem, while designing and implementing an effective correctional program.
In determining the best way to correct a child’s processing problem that is affecting his ability to focus on a task, we need to consider that this child likely has an upset chemistry. The basis for this assumption is the long history of the use of medication used with children with a focusing issue. These medications are designed to help the child focus with more ease, by making the neurotransmitters responsible for the process of focusing, more available to the brain and nervous system.
If a parent decides to try some medication for this purpose, then the child’s pediatrician is the place to start. Sometimes parents try various medications, only to find the side effects to be unacceptable. So it’s a good idea to also consider alternative ways to help balance the child’s upset body chemistry.
Other times the parents are not interested in pursuing medication at all, but realize that their child is struggling too hard to focus, so still needs some help in producing and releasing the necessary neurotransmitters. This is when parents often turn to a nutritionist, naturopath, chiropractor, or nutritionally oriented physician to explore alternatives that seem to help so many children.
We will explore both compensations and corrections for these struggling children.
In homeschooling we have a unique opportunity to help the child learn how to control his own behavior, through gentle behavior modification. We also have the opportunity to give this child more time and attention, taking the burden off of his focusing system. We can plan school days that help this child gain as much information as possible from the material, without the frustration of always being behind, or not knowing what to do. It is very rewarding to work with these learners in the home setting.
CompensationsEmploy one-on-one tutoring. Children with attention problems thrive when an adult works one-on-one with them. These children struggle to complete work on their own, and find the frequent reminders to hurry up and complete their work debilitating. (See
“Managing the Homeschool Teaching Day with a Struggling Learner” in the section following, to learn how to get this important time with your child, while still working with your other children).
Choose a curriculum that does not require mainly independent work (such as a computer curriculum program, or a self-paced program. These types of programs can be a
HUGE stress producer for a focus challenged student!)
Reduce workbook exercises and busy work, such as copying and repeating math problems, as much as possible.
Buy good quality earphones for this child. He could use them to block out distracting noise, or you could have him listen to classical music softly while working on assignments.
Keep this child close to you throughout the day. Your proximity makes a big difference in his ability to focus. You do not always have to interact with him. Just be near him. Even when you are teaching another child, this child can be next to you with his earphones on, completing his work.
Group assignments. When approaching a math page with many problems on it, put a star by those you want him to do in that sitting period. If you are only having him do some of the problems on the page, not all, then he can put a large “X” over the ones he doesn’t have to do. This is very satisfying for the child. If you can’t do that, then use construction paper to cover the problems on the bottom half of the page so he doesn’t have to see them when he is working on the top half. (Sometimes this adjustment, alone, can make a very big difference in the attitude at the beginning of an assignment.)
Focus on study skills. If your child is prone to make mistakes when doing math problems, have him mark all the similar problems with red, and do them first. These children don’t transition well, because transitions require more focusing power. Doing all like problems together greatly decreases their need to focus, ensuring few errors on a page. (Another simple, yet extremely effective idea.)
Take breaks. Many little breaks, versus one big break, helps these children stay on task. (If you're teaching young boys, this is a biggie!)
Involve dad. Assign one subject for dad to do with the child in the evening when he is home. Dads often have a different approach to teaching, and the child gets the important one-on-one time that helps him be successful. Make sure that dad knows the chunking approach, and how to reduce mundane, repetitive tasks.
Use more right brain strategies, since these employ color, humor, weirdness, etc., to put “Velcro” on the information presented. These children may not necessarily be right brain learners, but the engaging aspects of right brain strategies keep them interested, and uses less focusing energy. For example, when explaining a new concept or showing how to memorize material, make it fun by having your child help you draw sketches with colored markers.
Adjust your expectations. Your other children may complete tasks without constant reminders, or may actually be able to perform chores without your intervention.
If your special needs child could do that, he gladly would. He wants to please also, but does not have the physical ability to bring this about. He is as disappointed in himself as you are. If you have asked him to do three things, and he completed just one, and comes to you, think about saying, “Let’s do the other two tasks together.” This takes such pressure off the child, and models how to get several tasks done in a row, without the feeling of failure.
If your child had a disabled arm or leg, it would be so much easier to adjust your expectations without feeling that you weren’t teaching him how to be responsible. This child has as real a disability, but because it is not visible it can so easily be seen as sloppiness, irresponsibility, or laziness.
God will help you find the right way to work with your child :)CorrectionsMedications: Even though most homeschooling parents are not interested in the use of medications to help their child focus, the discussion is included here, since there may be times when it is necessary, even if it is only for a short period of time.
- Serotonin boosting medications:
- Ritalin (short release time)
- Concerta (sustained release time)
- Antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, etc.)
- Stimulants:
- Dopamine boosting medication:
All medications come with the risk of side effects, of course. Parents must weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before deciding whether or not to use medications.
Diet: It has been known for over 20 years (starting with Dr. Feingold and his famous Feingold Diet) that by reducing sugars, colorings, and preservatives, children with attention disorders have a much easier time focusing. (I have personally had incredible success here.)
Many parents report that when they change the diet of all children at home, that they see a tremendous difference in learning ability and behavior. Some of the diet recommendations that seem to be the most effective include:
**Reduce sugar intake. It’s the hidden sugars that get us in trouble, such as the sweeteners in fruit juice, boxed cereals, granola bars, fruit rollups, soft drinks, chocolate milk, pancakes, waffles, etc. Remember that a Snickers candy bar has about 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 35 grams of sugar. When you add the two together, you get 65 grams. Without realizing it, we often feed our children this same amount of sugar by just giving them juice and a bowl of cereal. For many children, consuming this much sugar contributes to their difficulty focusing and controlling their moods.
**Increase raw fruit and vegetable intake. As we know from the research in books such as Children with Starving Brains by Dr. Chandless, many children are low in essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. These children either are not getting the daily nutrients they need for their brain to function well, or they are eating the correct foods, but are not absorbing the nutrients found in the food.
The enzymes contained in raw foods greatly assist the digestive system in absorbing nutrients. This can make a huge difference with some children. To make this difference, parents always had grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fruit around to eat, and made sure the children had three servings a day. These parents also kept a plate of raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and green pepper strips along with plenty of ranch dressing around for lunch.
**Use less processed food. As the pioneering Dr. Feingold, and many of the researchers following him, found when food is boxed, it is filled with preservatives. Those preservatives can be very toxic to a child’s nervous system. Processed food also has no life in it. The rule of thumb for brain-healthy eating is to shop as much as you can in the periphery of the grocery store, where the plugs are in the walls. Buying food that is refrigerated in the store ensures you that the life-giving nutrients are still in there. When it is canned or boxed, the live nutrients, such as the fats that are good for the brain have been removed so that they do not turn rancid on the shelf. Of course, there are some good brain fats that are not refrigerated…such as cans of tuna or salmon and mayonnaise.
**Increase water intake. Children are often tired because they are dehydrated. They do not drink enough water during the day. A great book that details all the symptoms of being low in water intake is Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batmangahlidj. He recommends that children drink half their weight in ounces of water. Making adequate water intake during the day a family priority is very helpful for many families. Water helps eliminate histamine and other toxins from the body.
Summary: 
There are many things to consider as we teach our children and discover any struggles they may be experiencing. We must keep in mind the "big picture" as we teach. It is so easy to get caught up in being disappointed that some of our learners will struggle and that these struggles will cost us time, and effort, and work and usually, patience beyond our ability on most days. Remind yourself that God Himself has placed this child in YOUR care. He has done so because no one else is as uniquely equipped to parent him/her and educate him/her as you. No one else.
As you consider the suggestions in this article, I encourage you to bring each one before the Father. Though these things are a mystery to us, something to be figured out like a puzzle, they are no mystery to Him. He knows. He knows the exact path that your sweet student needs to take in order "unlock" his/her ability to learn and flourish in all things. And, He is so very willing to share the details with you. The One who created our sons and daughters has enormous plans for their future and we are privileged to be a part of bringing that to pass.
**(Compiled from an article by Dianne Craft - HSLDA Special Needs Coordinator)**
Darnelle is a wife and a mother to 5 children: 4 home schoolers who are currently in 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades and one who has graduated from home school and is a college sophomore. All 5 children have been home schooled from preschool. She has many years of teaching experience in public, private, parochial, and special schools, but her favorite is home school! Her certification is in the areas of special education and remediation. In her column, Darnelle aims to assist parents in finding and then correcting the trouble spots that often cause academic problems and struggles. Children (and their parents) who are freed from the heavy burden of academic struggles can begin to love learning again - just like God intended! Visit her blog,
All Things Work Together.
