<![CDATA[How to work with children with low attention span]]>Original Title: Help needed for children with low attention span?


Hi

Can anyone share your secrets in helping low attention span child to concentrate on their work?

My son has been with Kumon for about 4 years, I sent him there because he cannot sit still and have low attention span. Although he managed to move up the levels, I still have problems and could not think of any ways to stop him from day dreaming.

Any suggestions?????????

Thanks

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/668/how-to-work-with-children-with-low-attention-spanRSS for NodeTue, 05 May 2026 07:49:10 GMTTue, 29 Jul 2008 08:25:25 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 29 Oct 2015 06:04:19 GMT]]>Yes, sembgal is correct.


The earlier you bring your kid to KK hospital (child Guidance clinic) through referral for subsidized consultation, the better

If is inherent problem with the kid, changing kindergarten / Childcare from one to another, won’t help.
Because most of the kindergarten / Childcare centre are big size class, with more than 15 to 24 kids, per class.
Kindergarten Tr got to look after so many kids, can’t possibly focus attention on only 1 hyperactive child, neglect the rest

The professional at KK hospital can advise parents how to help their child overcome slowly, bit by bit.

The most important thing is :
The child must be able to sit down in a classroom setting environment.
First thing is to learn to sit down
If child walk around the class, or crawl under the table, can’t sit still,
Discuss with the KK hospital professional, what’s the best way to help child sit down first, slowly increase the time.
They will help u.

Earlier u start, the better for the kid
Don’t wait until go Primary 1, Form tr feedback that child can’t sit still in class, send kid to see educational psychologist in school.
P1 Form Tr have to take care of 30 pupils per class, got to teach english / Maths / Chinese, won’t have time to handle hyperactive student.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1598893https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1598893Thu, 29 Oct 2015 06:04:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 29 Oct 2015 05:00:04 GMT]]>

KiasuPG:
Hi Parents,

i believe my child is hyperactive, and many a times disturbs the class. The teacher is not happy too. she likes to control by shouting, which i explained to her that it will not help for more than few minutes.
I would like to change the school and try with some other teachers which are patient and innovative and new environment.
Do any of you have good experience in any kindergarten at West Coast or Jurong East with Hyperactive kids?
please help?
thanks.
Sometimes changing to another environment may not help much. If your child is observed to be different from other children, I would suggest the parent take the child to a Polyclinic to get a referral letter to KKH/CGC and let the professionals do the diagnosis at subsidized rate. Helping the child as early as you can, will help the child to improve the existing condition better.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1598869https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1598869Thu, 29 Oct 2015 05:00:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 22 Oct 2015 15:06:01 GMT]]>Hi Parents,

i believe my child is hyperactive, and many a times disturbs the class. The teacher is not happy too. she likes to control by shouting, which i explained to her that it will not help for more than few minutes.
I would like to change the school and try with some other teachers which are patient and innovative and new environment.
Do any of you have good experience in any kindergarten at West Coast or Jurong East with Hyperactive kids?
please help?
thanks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1595480https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1595480Thu, 22 Oct 2015 15:06:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Sun, 28 Jun 2015 07:19:56 GMT]]>yea where can I bring my kid to diagnose cos she seems to have that attention problem, very short span… appreciate if someone can PM me and let me noe, thnks

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1530086https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1530086Sun, 28 Jun 2015 07:19:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Wed, 28 Jan 2015 05:05:30 GMT]]>

Yuhua:
Paulyn:

Hi


My 6-yr old has very short attention span too and always got complaints by his teachers and friends that he was naughty and disturbed pp in class. He once said to me he doesn't understand why he has to repeat certain things in class when he already knows how to do it.

I started him with archery class and hope it will help his focus.

Ultimately, think lack of motivation is the problem as he is more keen in iphone games and TV. Is there any programmes that will help in this area?

Try kids yoga. It works! 😂

Bring up an old post.
Where did your child go for Yoga?

Any update since then?
Thanks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1458207https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1458207Wed, 28 Jan 2015 05:05:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:01:30 GMT]]>

slmkhoo:
Littlefly:

Hello parents


I finally found this thread - coz I read somewhere that the worst a parent could do is denial..... Hope to get some advises/ suggestions/ recommendations here. TIA!

My boy is P1 this year. He has garnered quite a few feedback from his teachers so far - mainly for lack of attention/ focus in class. He is very fidgety or 'sharp buttocks' if you call it.

At his K2 year, he was chosen for Learning Support Program (LSP) program - identified by (I think) Behavior Therapist to be short on attention span. At parallel track, our GP referred him to see a psychologist at KKH, suspecting him to be ADHD. We did both for him - enrolled him for the LSP program and brought him to see the specialist who did not think he's ADHD. Then we got lazy and did not follow-up as doc cleared him for ADHD.

Now the same old feedback came back to 'haunt' us on his lack of attention span. Academic-wise, he's doing ok. He learns quickly and easily but I don't think he's exceptionally bright or what. Even at meal times, he don't sit still. He don't snack (not sugar rush) and I gave him fish oil (which supposedly would help).

Now, he's being observed by school counselor who don't think he's ADHD. He's just more fidgety than normal (read: the rest of class).

Should I even worry ? I don't know if bringing him to see psychologist would help as she already ruled out ADHD.

Apart from nagging him to behave, sit still, pay attention in class, I really don't know what else to do.

If he has no learning disability that causes his short attention span, then it could be that he just needs more help to develop good habits. He will need to be supervised closely at first, especially when doing homework and any task that requires attention. The person supervising needs to keep him on task, gradually increasing the time he is required to stay on task. Just telling/nagging will not help as he needs to experience the time on task to get it to become a habit. It can be a long process. My daughter was like that and we had to sit beside her and slowly stretch her, and it got gradually better. It may never be totally 'cured', but it can improve.

Another thing to note is that attention span can also be cultivated (or shortened) through other life activities. A child who flits from toy to toy, or activity to activity, will likely to behave the same way in class. So you also need to encourage him to stay on task when at play, and don't allow people to distract him when he is concentrating on one thing (grandparents are great culprits - or at least, my parents are). Also, too much time spent on fast action TV and computer games can make a child have a short attention span.

Maybe also consider the amount of physical activity he gets? Some boys are more high energy - perfectly normal. You can try different activities to see which is better for him - swimming (really doing laps), hiking (walk up Bukit Timah hill before the trail is closed!), or something like badminton or cycling. Swimming in particular is very calming and good for some boys as opposed to just playing catching with friends. Try it out one weekend (armed with water and healthy snacks) and see if he is more settled for the rest of the day.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1310283https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1310283Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:01:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:25:04 GMT]]>

Littlefly:
Hello parents


I finally found this thread - coz I read somewhere that the worst a parent could do is denial..... Hope to get some advises/ suggestions/ recommendations here. TIA!

My boy is P1 this year. He has garnered quite a few feedback from his teachers so far - mainly for lack of attention/ focus in class. He is very fidgety or 'sharp buttocks' if you call it.

At his K2 year, he was chosen for Learning Support Program (LSP) program - identified by (I think) Behavior Therapist to be short on attention span. At parallel track, our GP referred him to see a psychologist at KKH, suspecting him to be ADHD. We did both for him - enrolled him for the LSP program and brought him to see the specialist who did not think he's ADHD. Then we got lazy and did not follow-up as doc cleared him for ADHD.

Now the same old feedback came back to 'haunt' us on his lack of attention span. Academic-wise, he's doing ok. He learns quickly and easily but I don't think he's exceptionally bright or what. Even at meal times, he don't sit still. He don't snack (not sugar rush) and I gave him fish oil (which supposedly would help).

Now, he's being observed by school counselor who don't think he's ADHD. He's just more fidgety than normal (read: the rest of class).

Should I even worry ? I don't know if bringing him to see psychologist would help as she already ruled out ADHD.

Apart from nagging him to behave, sit still, pay attention in class, I really don't know what else to do.
If he has no learning disability that causes his short attention span, then it could be that he just needs more help to develop good habits. He will need to be supervised closely at first, especially when doing homework and any task that requires attention. The person supervising needs to keep him on task, gradually increasing the time he is required to stay on task. Just telling/nagging will not help as he needs to experience the time on task to get it to become a habit. It can be a long process. My daughter was like that and we had to sit beside her and slowly stretch her, and it got gradually better. It may never be totally 'cured', but it can improve.

Another thing to note is that attention span can also be cultivated (or shortened) through other life activities. A child who flits from toy to toy, or activity to activity, will likely to behave the same way in class. So you also need to encourage him to stay on task when at play, and don't allow people to distract him when he is concentrating on one thing (grandparents are great culprits - or at least, my parents are). Also, too much time spent on fast action TV and computer games can make a child have a short attention span.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1310146https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1310146Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:25:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:28:48 GMT]]>

joannelim1975:
The tutor I engaged told me that attention is really a big umbrella so we need to know what is the root cause leading to short attention span. It is hard to address attention problem alone without knowing the root cause as it will just keep coming back. I brought my kids to some private practice said to improve attention, but after several sessions, there was no significant change and it is so costly. It is till I happen to know about this tutor that I realized and learnt about attention. Now my children are still with her and I can see better improvements...


Hi, can you share a few example how your tutor did to help your children to increase their attention span? TIA

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1309613https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1309613Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:28:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 03:19:50 GMT]]>The tutor I engaged told me that attention is really a big umbrella so we need to know what is the root cause leading to short attention span. It is hard to address attention problem alone without knowing the root cause as it will just keep coming back. I brought my kids to some private practice said to improve attention, but after several sessions, there was no significant change and it is so costly. It is till I happen to know about this tutor that I realized and learnt about attention. Now my children are still with her and I can see better improvements…

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1309329https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1309329Tue, 10 Jun 2014 03:19:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 10:01:43 GMT]]>Hello parents


I finally found this thread - coz I read somewhere that the worst a parent could do is denial… Hope to get some advises/ suggestions/ recommendations here. TIA!

My boy is P1 this year. He has garnered quite a few feedback from his teachers so far - mainly for lack of attention/ focus in class. He is very fidgety or ‘sharp buttocks’ if you call it.

At his K2 year, he was chosen for Learning Support Program (LSP) program - identified by (I think) Behavior Therapist to be short on attention span. At parallel track, our GP referred him to see a psychologist at KKH, suspecting him to be ADHD. We did both for him - enrolled him for the LSP program and brought him to see the specialist who did not think he’s ADHD. Then we got lazy and did not follow-up as doc cleared him for ADHD.

Now the same old feedback came back to ‘haunt’ us on his lack of attention span. Academic-wise, he’s doing ok. He learns quickly and easily but I don’t think he’s exceptionally bright or what. Even at meal times, he don’t sit still. He don’t snack (not sugar rush) and I gave him fish oil (which supposedly would help).

Now, he’s being observed by school counselor who don’t think he’s ADHD. He’s just more fidgety than normal (read: the rest of class).

Should I even worry ? I don’t know if bringing him to see psychologist would help as she already ruled out ADHD.

Apart from nagging him to behave, sit still, pay attention in class, I really don’t know what else to do.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1277006https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1277006Mon, 28 Apr 2014 10:01:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Sun, 13 Apr 2014 12:55:58 GMT]]>Let the child take Omega fish oil for better concentration.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1265210https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1265210Sun, 13 Apr 2014 12:55:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 07 Apr 2014 10:07:37 GMT]]>30 minutes a stretch isn’t too bad! I’ve worked with kids who have even shorter attention spans than that… 15 minutes is already pushing it. Quite jialat. Requires a lot of patience.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1259879https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1259879Mon, 07 Apr 2014 10:07:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:36:45 GMT]]>I normally can get about 30 minutes at a stretch with a 5-minute break in between. Indie work for English takes him an hour at most. Sit-down study time with me is 1.5 hours for Math and corrections. And to work off pent-up energy, he goes down to play for 1.5 hours a day too. If he misbehaves or fails to work with me, his playtime gets cut.


Working so far but there will be days when he refuses to do anything. And that’s when we struggle really hard to manage his outbursts. And on those days, I feel like tearing my hair out cos it’s really tiring. And at the end of it, he’ll settle down again to do his work.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257923https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257923Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:36:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:25:46 GMT]]>My daughter had low attention span too, but has improved greatly over the years. She is still more dreamy and drifts off more than most, but has learnt to cope. When she was in preschool, even 15 mins would have been a challenge. We just started from where she was, and worked up from there. In P1, She needed short breaks every 10 mins or so, but we worked her up to 20 mins or so by P2. We supervised her closely up to about P2, but gradually taught her to self-manage. She’s 17yo now, and is managing OK with homework etc. I think it’s best to set a time target which your child can usually manage and begin from there.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257908https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257908Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:25:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:17:56 GMT]]>I don’t actually do 15 min for each subject with short break in between. But definitely need to have breaks. It’s actually very disruptive to just do 15 min each block. It takes him about 1/3 of that time to settle down in the 1st place.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257393https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1257393Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:17:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:09:01 GMT]]>If you need answer to your question then visit mental health professional. If your child is not responding well or not speaking a word etc then it might be adhd but there are various other psychological conditionals like autism, dyslexia which are treatable so a psychologist can help you. You should check symptoms of adhd disorder first and if you found symptoms are same then do not wait. You can start here http://illnessquiz.com/adhd-test/ and then visit mental health expert for treatment. Hope i can help

Thanks

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1256286https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1256286Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:09:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:59:27 GMT]]>Yes, my son had been taking lessons from a teacher who is also a registered psychologist trained in teaching students with learning disability and attention deficit problem. In fact, she was also the psychologist who confirmed his dyslexia and wrote the evaluation paper that was submitted to MOE by the school to have his chinese exempted.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177189https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177189Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:59:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:44:27 GMT]]>If your child has attention problems, it might be that he requires a different type of teaching methodology that keeps him interested. This is not easy to rectify but can be done.


I heard about a conference for children with learning difficulties taking place at NTUC on 13th and 14th January. You might want to consider to attend. You could get more details from conference@alphatoomega.org

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177171https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177171Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:44:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:44:07 GMT]]>If your child has attention problems, it might be that he requires a different type of teaching methodology that keeps him interested. This is not easy to rectify but can be done.


I heard about a conference for children with learning difficulties taking place at NTUC on 13th and 14th January. You might want to consider to attend. You could get more details from conference@alphatoomega.org

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177169https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1177169Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:44:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Mon, 30 Dec 2013 02:34:24 GMT]]>Hi

I do have recommendations for tutors who are special education teachers who specialise in Special needs such as Autism, ADHD, Speech and Hearing Impairment, learning difficulties and low attention span children.
You can PM me if needed.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1176902https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1176902Mon, 30 Dec 2013 02:34:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Fri, 27 Dec 2013 14:35:29 GMT]]>My child was diagnosed as having ADHD and dyspraxia when he was much younger. Thankfully, the teachers in his school had been pretty understanding and was able to help him cope (eg. place him right in front of the class/seat him next to a model child and to constantly prod him into attention when he starts losing attention in class). We were advised to start him on medication since P2 too but we didn’t want to do so then.


Then in P4, during one of the parent/teachers session, his teacher advised us to get our kid tested on his learning ability as they suspect that he has dyslexia. He was faring pretty okay in his math & science but he had borderline/failing marks in both english & chinese. Initially, we were skeptical about it but we went ahead and got him tested and true enough, he was diagnosed as having dyslexia. We were then told that we could have the option of having getting him exempted from Chinese due to his learning disability and also get extra time during his exams (including PSLE). Also, as advised, we also started him on ritalin.

After that, his grades improved tremendously and his self confidence also improved a lot too. I was really touched by the help from his teachers in school without which, we wouldn’t have known about his condition.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1175536https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1175536Fri, 27 Dec 2013 14:35:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:53:50 GMT]]>Hi, this topic seems to be rather similar to the \"Lazy & Low Attention Span\" topic here: http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=31044&start=20


As I commented over there, actually, what you've all mentioned is quite a common issue amongst parents. The bad news is, motivation often involves emotional issues and is hence more complex to address. Perhaps it would be good to spend some time with your child to find out why he/she is unable to stay focused. The good news is, it is actually possible to increase your child’s intrinsic motivation by identifying and removing mental-emotional barriers (sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious), and improving self-leadership and resilience.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/748511https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/748511Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:53:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:12:22 GMT]]>Hi, My 7-year old seems to get distracted easily when I want her to sit down for puzzles and a good story. My sister was listening to a talk about how space and environment can affect a child’s concentration. I’m going down this weekend to check out the workshop which will show parents how to better adapt their home environment to bring out the best in their child. The workshops held at Casa Kidi, Tampines. 😉

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/748469https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/748469Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:12:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to work with children with low attention span on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:31:27 GMT]]>Hi Sharkkie, my younger boy used to be the same till I send him to children yoga classes. The classes teaches him in a fun and interactive way which helps in lengthening his attention span. Now he is almost 7 years and I am glad he has improved tremendously on his ability to focus.

If you are interested, you can check out http://www.ohmsantih.com and look for teacher warwar. I am not sure about other teachers but this lady teacher is really good in what she does.
DOn't deapair cos there is always hope :rahrah:[/quote]

Hi Yuhua...thanks for the recommendation...how dies Yoga help to lengthen the attention span? how many kids in one class and how long did u put your boy through this class?[/quote]

Dear Sharkkie, I sat in a couple of times through the classes. What I observed was the teacher will teach them poses which resembles different animals in a fun and interactive way, some time 2 kids paired up to perform some partner poses as well. And in each pose, they stay for a few counts. Initially my DS could not stay even for half a count but I must the teacher is very patient and charismatic. She is stern and yet sensitive at the same time. She talk sense to him on why he cant stay in the pose and explain why we need to hold the pose in a way my DS can understand. After which slowly, I got feedback from her that he is able to hold on the few counts without diverting his focus to other things.
When he start to be able to achieve that focus, that is also when I got feedback from his school teacher that he improved in his attention span and less likely to move around to disturb other children.
Well, the studio isn't too big so one class is abput 5-6 children only. Very focused class and I guess that is also probably the reason why we can see the improvments pretty quickly.
If you are interested, you can check out the site and look for teacher warwar.. :please:[/quote]

Oh yes, it has been almost 2 years now that he started attending kid's yoga and I remembered seeing improvements in about 4-5 months after he started attending.. :please:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/743610https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/743610Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:31:27 GMT