Your attention, please!Your attention, please!
All In The Mind
Are you paying attention? It’s not as simple as it sounds because our focus is constantly being pulled in different directions. Good attention skills are crucial for the development of other cognitive abilities, but a concerning number of children have difficulties to a clinical level, such as those seen in ADHD and autism. The common treatment is medication but there are training interventions which are proving effective.
29:06•25 Aug 2019
Your Attention, Please: Helping Kids Focus and Learn
Episode Overview
- Attention underpins other key skills such as working memory, language, planning and academic performance.
- Even slight attention problems in early childhood can be linked with poorer educational outcomes decades later.
- Medication can help many children with ADHD, but long-term effects on the developing brain are still not fully understood.
- Game-based cognitive training like Tali Train showed improvements in selective attention and numeracy in clinical trials.
- Teachers in remote areas can feasibly use digital attention training with whole classes, offering support where services are limited.
“"Attention is really this gateway... the foundation on which other cognitive skills, academic skills and behaviours are built upon."”
Ever wondered what it takes for a child to stay focused when their brain feels like that cat surrounded by 100 laser pointers? This episode of *All In The Mind* looks closely at childhood attention, why it matters so much, and what families can do when focus becomes a daily struggle. Developmental neuroscientist Dr Hannah Kirk from Monash University explains that attention isn't just about concentrating on one thing. As she puts it, "attention is really this gateway...
the foundation on which other cognitive skills, academic skills and behaviours are built upon." She outlines how even mild inattention at age three can be linked to poorer education outcomes in early adulthood, which is why early detection and support are so important. You’ll hear from mum Vairi and her sons Luca and Flynn, who talk candidly about ADHD, classroom frustrations and the emotional load on families.
Luca sums up his school challenges as "writing and listening", while Flynn says he can now "block out all of the distractions" after an attention training programme. Medication like Ritalin is discussed as the mainstay treatment for ADHD, along with its benefits and uncertainties, especially for younger children. At the same time, Dr Kirk introduces Tali Train, a game-based touchscreen programme that trains different aspects of attention through playful tasks with fish, planets and bedtime routines.
Vairi describes how, after five weeks with Tali, Luca’s teacher was "amazed" that he could sit and work productively for an hour and jump five reading levels in one term. Dr Megan Spencer-Smith joins to talk about using this kind of digital training in remote schools, where access to specialist support is limited. Both researchers stress the need for solid evidence, realistic expectations and a focus on which children benefit most.
If you’re curious about practical, research-backed ways to support kids who find it hard to sit still and tune in, this conversation might give you fresh questions to bring to your own family or classroom.
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