Hocus, Pocus, Focus! Springfield Park Elementary Christina Vitek, School Psychologist

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1 Hocus, Pocus, Focus! Strategies, Activities, and Techniques to Improve Attention & Executive Function in Children. Springfield Park Elementary Christina Vitek, School Psychologist

2 Need?

3 What do we know?

4 Let s change places with some of these kiddos Visual Attention Auditory Attention

(William James, 1890) Attention in humans involves the complex mental operations that involve

5 It is the taking possession by the mind in clear and vivid form of one out of what seem several simultaneous objects or train of thought. (William James, 1890) Attention in humans involves the complex mental operations that involve literally the whole brain (from the subcortical brainstem to the neocortex). Attention We all know what it is when we see it- but how is it defined?

6 Executive function is a set of mental processes that help us connect past experience with present action Mental Processes include Executive Function What exactly is that? Organizing Prioritizing Shift/Thinking Flexibility Accessing Working Memory Self-Monitoring/ Self-Checking

7 Organizing The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or material

8 Prioritizing (Planning) The ability to create steps to reach a goal and to make decisions about what to focus on

9 Flexibility The ability to change strategies or revise plans when conditions change

10 Accessing Working Memory The ability to hold information in mind and use it to complete a task

11 Self-Monitoring The ability to monitor and evaluate your own performance

12 Executive Functioning Impacts 3 broad areas: Learning Behavior & Emotions Social Situations & Relationships Examples Ask for help or information when needed Make plans Keep track of time Keep track of more than one thing at once Wait to speak until called on

3 important things to remember Children s brains are unique. Each child differs in the amount of types of stimulation he or she needs to stay focused.

13 3 important things to remember Children s brains are unique. Each child differs in the amount of types of stimulation he or she needs to stay focused. Self-esteem and positive thinking can play an enormous role in a child s ability to pay attention. Adults can offer training to strengthen executive function skills and teach children how to recognize what s worth focusing on and what they can ignore! It s mostly PLAY and FUN!

14 So, why do some students have more difficulty with Attention & Executive Function than others? Nature & Nurture!

15 Nature: The Brain!

16 Dopamine tends to limit and select sensory information arriving from the thalamus to the forebrain Decreased activity level in the prefrontal cortex AD/HD = decreased dopamine activity

17 Attention, Executive Function & AD/HD Not everyone that presents with difficulties with Attention or Executive Functioning has AD/HD Most students with AD/HD have difficulties with Attention and/or Executive Functioning Source: CDC

Research According to the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2009): Brain patterns in children from poverty were quite similar to adults who have had strokes with lesions in their prefrontal cortex.

18 Research According to the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2009): Brain patterns in children from poverty were quite similar to adults who have had strokes with lesions in their prefrontal cortex. Difficulty identifying the focal point and blocking out distractions, which is a key function of the prefrontal cortex. Most low-income children have these disparities in neurocognitive development: language memory ability, working memory, and executive function. Effects on the brain and attention are reversible but need highly intensive interventions.

19 Development & Maturity Executive skills & the ability to attend develop gradually and at different rate for different people Some students will figure out ways to compensate or strengthen their executive skills weaknesses Others will need extra support to compensate for or develop such deficits

20 What can we do? Educate Accommodate Intervene

22 Brain Breaks: Taking a short period of time to change up the dull routine of incoming information helps children feel more alert and better able to concentrate on work.

23 Brain Breaks: Incorporate them every minutes or as needed Take about 1-3 minutes Hand Wave Twisted Hey Joe

Isometrics: Exercises that can help kids learn to sit still and control their bodies by allowing them to stimulate and put pressure on their muscles

24 Isometrics: Exercises that can help kids learn to sit still and control their bodies by allowing them to stimulate and put pressure on their muscles without actually moving them (Shapiro, 2010). Hands Knees Desk Feet Mind/Body Integration: Developing a stronger neural connection between the mind and the body.

25 Accommodate = Compensate

26 Accommodation Merriam-Webster Definition: : the act of accommodating : the state of being accommodated: as : the providing of what is needed or desired for convenience

27 Oldies but Goodies Chunked work Proximity seating Timers Individual check-lists Extra time Positive reinforcement Concise directions Repeated directions

28 Secondary Activities Doing two things at once, it turns out, can actually help focus the ADHD brain on a primary task Must use a sense that is different from what the primary task requires Mindless activities- don t have to think about it Intentional fidgeting

29 Secondary Fidgets Che Stixx Velcro/Sandpaper Strips Chew Bracelet/Necklace Fidget Rings

30 Exercise Ball Wiggle Seats Bouncey Bands

31 Scented Pencils Brain Booster CDs Call on Me First Cards

32 I ll see you in January. we will talk Intervention. Until then. Utilize I/E time to not only focus on academic assessment/teaching routines but also teach behavior and work habit expectations Define: Talk about it Model: Show, demonstrate Practice: Role play Reinforce: Acknowledge What visuals can we use in our classrooms to remind our students of these expectations throughout the day? Incorporate some Brain Breaks into your classroom routine Sign up with GoNoodle? Informally assess the needs of your class.

Hocus, Pocus, Focus! New Kent SEAC. Strategies, Activities, and Techniques to Improve Attention & Executive Function in Children.

Hocus, Pocus, Focus! New Kent SEAC. Strategies, Activities, and Techniques to Improve Attention & Executive Function in Children. Hocus, Pocus, Focus! Strategies, Activities, and Techniques to Improve Attention & Executive Function in Children. New Kent SEAC Christina Vitek, School Psychologist Henrico County Public Schools February