Learning Skills 101 - Sustained Attention

Learning skills are the underlying mental skills formally known as attention, visual/auditory processing, memory, processing, word attack and auditory analysis. Most of our children experience these skills through reading, writing, spelling, paying attention, remembering, recalling and how quick we can respond to a request.

In my past few articles I have been discussing the "attention" learning skill. My past two articles discuss two of three types of attention. Specifically, I discussed divided and selective attention. Divided Attention is the ability to pay attention to more than one thing at a time. Selective attention is the skill that enables us to literally choose what we will pay attention to. We can still take in everything in our visual span but we only "select" one thing at a time to pay attention to.

In this article, I discuss sustained attention. Sustained attention is the ability to direct attention and focus on one main thing for a period of time. The fact that you are reading this article and keeping your attention focused on these words is an example of sustained attention. For children, sustained attention can be seen when they need to stay on task for a period of time. If they are to be able to read for 20 minutes in a reading period, they need the skill to keep them on task.

Of course, the challenge is what to do when the child is not able to stay on task? Its important to recognize that the child could have weak attention skills. Sometimes, there are other variables that add to the weak attention skills. For example, weak auditory or visual processing along with memory skills could be part of the bigger problem. The best way to determine where your child skills reside is to have them assessed and then create a plan of action to strengthen them.

The good news is that the above skill is just one of many that you are able to strengthen due to the brain's ability to develop and grow. The Enhanced Learning Skills System was designed to strengthen learning skills required to learn and read easier and more efficiently.
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