Executive Functions 101: Sustained Attention

Have you ever really stopped to think about all that your vehicle's dashboard does or how you would navigate, while driving, if one or more of the components of your dash suddenly stopped working or intermittently worked? 

You might crash.
You might not be able to see.
You might not get to your destination.

Scary to think about but also eye opening when you realize how each part must work well, and as a unit, in order for your vehicle to work the way in which it was intended. 

For the next several posts, I will be taking a closer look at the five main components of Executive Functions. We will start today with the area of selective attention.

Selective attention is the ability to focus on what is important. So, in basic terms it's the ability to tune out extraneous sensory stimuli and focus in on particular things, people, situations. Selective attention happens on a subconscious level but you can learn to have some conscious control over it through Executive Function Intervention. To describe further, a person with selective attention difficulties may feel like they are trying to listen and attend to ten radio stations at once. 

Overwhelming to think about right? 

Let's take this further and think about how easy it would be to drive if your vehicle's dash system suddenly decided to work all at once. Lights flashing, wipers going, radio switching stations...would it be easy to drive? Would you be able to attend to the road with all of these things going at once? No. You wouldn't.

Lets look at a real life example of selective attention demands  for a child in a classroom. Think back to the sights, sounds and smells of a classroom. Remember how the fluorescent lights would buzz, the noise of the hand dryer in the bathroom right next to your classroom, the children shuffling their feet under their desks, the hum of the heater, the scooting of chairs, the faint sound of the music class down the hall, the brightly colored bulletin boards, whirling decorations on the ceiling, the teacher wearing strong perfume, the child next to you with body odor etc...? 


Where is the teacher's voice or subject you are supposed to be attending to? 


Can you hear it, see it or focus in on what you are supposed to?  Even for the typically developing child, the answer may be no. For the child with Executive Function difficulties {specifically in the selective attention area} the answer is assuredly no. 


What do you do for a child who is struggling here? 

• First, you have to identify if selective attention is a strength or weakness
• Next, you may need to make accommodations in the classroom 
• Lastly, you may need to intervene with Executive Function Coaching Intervention based upon the child's assessment showing their Executive Function strengths and weaknesses. 

Stay tuned for my next post on inhibition and it's role in Executive Functions. 


As always, thanks for reading and until next time....keep helping your kiddos BLOOM. 


Jen




 

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