Libby Public School Series: Executive Functioning - Attention

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"Not all those who wander are lost."
by J.R.R. Tolkien

Executive Functions are located in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe has an important role in the emotional self regulation, and executive functions. Executive functioning start to develop early on in life and continues to develop into the mid twenties. Children with weak and or delayed executive functioning can present with an array of challenges in the areas of self regulation, social emotional skills and executive skills ( Attention, Emotional Regulation, Flexibility, Inhibitory control, Initiation, Organization, Planning, Self Monitoring, Working Memory).

 Today we are taking a closer look at Attention. Who has not struggled to pay attention, concentrate on a task and just not been able to stick with it. Or told your children "pay attention, look at what you are doing". We all have times where we are able to attend and times when we are utterly distracted. When we are stressed, tired, hungry, or hurt our ability to attend decreases. We tend to think that we can multi task, however studies (Multitasking NPR article)have shown that people who feel that they are good at multi tasking in actuality are more distracted not being able to maintain attention to do one tasks but hopping from task to task instead. The saying "Less is More" is certainly true when it comes to attention. Many children struggle with attention. In some this is due to an developmental delay and we are expecting more than the child can do. Others have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder), which in some cases can be managed by medication. In my opinion though, in many instances the label ADHD is more indicative of a group of signs and symptoms with other underlying unmet needs, that if addressed would increase the child's ability to attend. I feel that if the following areas in a child's life are addressed a large group of kids would have fewer attention issues

  • Social-Emotional needs (meaningful relationships, trust and safety)
  • Structure and routines
  • Enough sleep
  • Proper Nutrition (allergies - processed foods - excess sugar)
  • Play (unstructured and outside)
  • Limit screen time of any kind
  • Limit stress (academic expectations)

There are 5 areas of attention (5 areas of attention)

  1. Focused Attention - attention is directed to visual or auditory information
  2. Selective Attention - unwanted distractions can be ignored
  3. Shifting Attention - attention can move between different tasks
  4. Sustained Attention - focus on a task for an extended period of time
  5. Divided Attention - being able to attend to two tasks at once

In order to know what to expect from your child you need to know where they are in their development. A general guideline for attention is 3-5 minutes for each year of age, e.g. a 6 year old should be able to attend for at least 15 minutes. It does need to be noted that watching a screen is not a good measure of attention. The type of activity also greatly influences attention span. Younger kids need more movement and thus just sitting to attend may not be as effective. Activities that are novel and interesting hold some ones attention more than mundane and non interesting subjects that do not appear to have much meaning. 

 Developmental stages of focus and attention https://sltforkids.co.uk/ages-and-stages-developmental-milestones/attention-milestones/

  • 0-1 year; Fleeting attention - involuntary child's attention moves from one thing to the next
  • 1-2 years; Rigid attention - involuntary, child can focus on concrete tasks and ignore external stimuli
  • 2-3 years; Single channel attention - focus on one thing at time, adult can intervene and shift attention
  • 3-4 years; Focusing attention - emerging voluntary control of own attention, focus and refocus on one activity 
  • 4-5 years; Two channel attention - focus on an activity and listen at the same time. 
  • 5-6 years; Integrated attention - sustained attention and the ability to ignore unwanted stimuli


With the continued need for our children to be learning at home, keep in mind that each child is different with different needs and learning styles. Some can sit down and crank out all their work at once while others need shorter sessions over a longer period of time. 




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