Partial lack of concentration
As a rule, a weakness in concentration occurs “only” partially. This temporary lack of concentration can, on the one hand, be repeated again and again in certain situations, but can also occur again and again within the daily or weekly rhythm. The attention of children with partial lack of concentration is also enormously dependent on motivation. In everyday life, for example, it is noticeable that – if the child classifies the topic and the situation as “interesting” – the child is quite capable of concentrating and, in addition, is able to listen and cooperate perseveringly.
Causes
According to the distinction between permanent and partial lack of concentration (see symptoms), equally different causes can be identified from this distinction. Causes of permanent lack of concentration: Causes of partial lack of concentration: Partial lack of concentration, on the other hand, can have various causes. The possible causes include Taking amitriptyline and other antidepressants (mirtazapine, citalopram, imipramine.
Allergies Again, the following applies: An allergy does not necessarily trigger a lack of concentration or attention. This becomes clear among other things already by the fact that not each Allergiker is not compellingly concentration or attention-weak. Now there are however two possibilities, which let an allergy appear possible as cause.
In this respect, phosphate sensitivity – phosphate hypersensitivity – is often considered as a possible cause for the development of a lack of concentration, and possibly even an attention deficit syndrome with or without hyperactivity. Phosphates are components in detergents and fertilizers, but can also be found in finished products, effervescent drinks, beer and wine, and in bread. However, organic phosphates are also found in our body in the form of intracellular electrolytes (calcium phosphate) in certain concentrations.
This is one of the reasons why a phosphate-free diet as part of a therapy is controversial. Incipient diseases This is the classic “hatching” of a disease. A feeling of uneasiness or discomfort can weaken or cloud attention.
However, these symptoms should disappear quickly once the disease has been overcome. The diseases do not have to be limited to physical illnesses. All too often, mental illnesses are also the cause of incipient lack of concentration.
In adults, for example, a lack of concentration is in many cases an indication of an incipient burn-out syndrome.
- The allergy triggers a permanent stress situation, whereupon the body or the adrenal cortex releases adrenaline. The body reacts about half an hour after an immense release of adrenaline with an increased cortisol production.
Cortisol in turn belongs to the group of so-called glucocorticoids, whose central effect can influence the brain and memory performance, as well as a change in behavioral patterns.
- As a result of an allergy, medication is taken to alleviate the symptoms, the side effects of which indicate that under certain circumstances perception and the ability to concentrate can be weakened.
Problems Problems that occupy the thoughts of the child, e.g. family problems, personal problems, special events, … “Where are you with your thoughts?” Who has not heard this question yet? There are problems that are so present that it is difficult to banish them from one’s mind.
There are situations in which it succeeds, and then again one is not able to grasp a clear thought.Here, all therapy suggestions for increasing the ability to concentrate are of little use. It is important to get the causes of the problems under control. Problems cannot always be solved, in some cases you have to learn to live with them.
This is often only possible with help from outside, which should be called upon as soon as you realize that you are overwhelmed by the situation as such. Stressful situations that may impair the children’s concentration are for example
- SeparationDivorce of the parents
- Illness of close relative
- Grief (
Strong/excessive sugar consumption In the 1990s, studies proved that high sugar consumption not only has an effect on the health of the teeth and weight, but that excessive consumption of sweets in addition to a vitamin deficiency frequently also triggered concentration weaknesses. Poor learning situation In order to work and thus to be able to concentrate, one needs a learning environment that allows concentration and excludes essential factors that can distract (a separate workplace at home, a place of retreat, rest)Children and especially children with problems in the area of concentration need a separate, quiet and sparsely furnished workplace.
Objects that tempt to play must be removed. This may include the hole puncher or the pencil case. A sparsely furnished workplace alone does not imply uncomfortability.
You must accept as stimuli all superfluous materials that consciously or unconsciously lash out at your child. While a child without a lack of concentration can make conscious or unconscious decisions: that doesn’t interest me, any object, no matter how unimportant, attracts the attention of a child with concentration problems. A sparsely furnished workplace can therefore be seen in a broader sense as a “therapeutic measure”.
In addition to the workplace, a good learning situation also requires quiet. This implies that homework is not done together with the siblings in one room, but that each child has the opportunity to withdraw. Romping and talking siblings draw attention to themselves, cause inattention and a reduced ability to concentrate.
The famous “doing homework in the kitchen” should also be reconsidered especially in such cases. Depression The classic disinterest must also be mentioned here as a triggering moment for lack of concentration and distractibility. However, disinterest is only to be taken seriously if it does not only extend to one subject area, but runs through life.
Indifference in many areas can have various psychological causes, for example: Depressions, feelings of inferiority, etc. Increased television consumption Studies have shown that children who show increased television consumption switch off more quickly when learning at school. This is primarily due to the fact that the child is constantly exposed to stimuli on television, whereas in school situations, close observation and listening is required.
In accordance with the “normal” age-appropriate ability to concentrate, phase changes occur less frequently at school than on television. As a result, considerable differences in the attention of the children can be observed. While “normally frequent” television children or children with a very low television consumption can follow lessons attentively, children with an increased or significantly increased television consumption have a problem in this respect.
The consequence is that they switch off, or even disrupt the lessons. Especially here it becomes clear how quickly a child with a lack of concentration can become a child with suspected ADHD, ADHD or other learning problems, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia. At this point we would like to point this out once again: Children with a lack of concentration do not necessarily suffer from ADHD or ADHD.
On the other hand, children with a proven ADHD with or without hyperactivity show a lack of concentration! Learning by example: The adult rush, stress and rush from appointment to appointment often determine the everyday life of adults. Unconsciously we convey to children that these dominating factors are part of life.
The effects are also partly already noticeable in children’s everyday life. Even children of kindergarten and primary school age suffer from enormous time pressure.The pedagogical term for this is leisure time stress. This is caused by the many possibilities that are available to the children in terms of hobbies.
Whereas in the past, children used to have fun playing in the street, making appointments with peers after homework to play in the playground, today other options are open to children. On the one hand, this is good because it takes into account individual interests and abilities, but on the other hand, it is also a negative thing, because you often don’t decide on a thing you devote your whole heart to, but often get lost in the diversity. Especially children with a tendency to lack concentration should be spared these experiences.
Half-heartedness leads among other things also to the fact that one does nothing correctly and feels thereby possibly also no success. A child who plays soccer three days a week will have more success than a child who pursues different hobbies three times a week. At this point, take a moment and think about your child’s “schedule”…
The aspects mentioned below reflect on another level the famous question of “the hen and the egg”. Both are conceivable, but differ from each other in many important ways. As a result of learning problems As a result of learning problems, no matter how much motivation there is to overcome them, frustration and dissatisfaction can make itself felt in the child.
Children often feel overwhelmed and demotivated by constant failure. The inner attitude is then often: “I can’t do that anyway. “The consequence of this is that the child often unconsciously turns away from the lessons and the tasks to be mastered.
In principle, this is equivalent to an inner rebellion. However, it is problematic that the situation can only get worse. For this reason it is particularly important that a child with learning problems is offered understanding, attention and support.
It is very important to strengthen the child’s self-esteem. Above all, this is not achieved by constant recrimination. Above all, it requires all adults involved in the upbringing to pull themselves together – even and especially when the nerves are being put to the test!
As a cause of learning problems occurring concentration weaknesses should always be observed and as soon as a temporary cause can be excluded, the cause should be examined. Concentration problems are often concomitant symptoms of other learning problems, such as ADHD, ADHD, dyslexia, LRS (= reading. spelling weakness), dyscalculia or dyscalculia etc.
There are specific standardized test procedures for testing the ability to concentrate. Two of them are briefly presented below – without any claim to completeness and without any form of evaluation. TPK – Test series for testing the ability to concentrate in second to sixth graders.
The TPK can be carried out as a group test within the framework of a school lesson. It allows conclusions to be drawn about performance, but due to the different demands on the ability to concentrate, it is also possible to recognize in which “critical phases” concentration is difficult. The KT 3 – 4 is a specific test to test the ability to concentrate of pupils in the third and fourth school years, which does not require written language or arithmetic skills.
During the test, a specially integrated supplement to the test is used to test the test subjects’ distractibility during the actual test task. This aspect is missing in many test procedures. The testing of the concentration ability is usually carried out by a psychologist.
In a psychological practice, experience values for certain test procedures are always the basis. The psychologist can choose the individually suitable test procedure and provides information about the method used in the preliminary discussion. In addition to testing the ability to concentrate using standardized test procedures, a conversation with parents and, if necessary, contact with educators and teachers is always available as a meaningful tool.
As already mentioned, it is important to warn at this point against diagnosing an attention deficit too quickly. Not every lack of concentration implies that such a symptom exists and it can have fatal consequences if such a diagnosis is made incorrectly and prematurely. For this reason, accurate observations are essential in advance.They should always refer to all areas of life (kindergarten or school, home environment, leisure time). For example, you may notice an interest tied concentration ability, or notice that in certain situations the concentration always seems to decrease, etc. At this point it is also important to consider the role of the school break in the child’s concentration.