Sustaining attention can be difficult, particularly for students with ADHD. One obstacle for sustaining attention can be when tasks become too challenging for a student prompting them to feel frustrated and quit. To reduce this frustration and keep students on task, teachers should provide “sufficient instruction and opportunities for practice to enable them to successfully master the skills needed to perform a task” (Johnson & Reid, 2011, p. 65).
What do sustained attention difficulties look like in the classroom?
- A student is not able to maintain focus during independent work time, looks out a window or doorway often, and/or fidgets with objects.
- A student misses directions and is unsure what they should be doing.
- A student who does not finish their classroom work because they are distracted by something else.
Click below for executive function strategies that help with sustained attention in elementary and middle/high school:
Executive Function 