Understanding attention difficulties

Trouble paying attention is often first noticed by teachers. A child might:

  • take a long time to finish tasks
  • seem distracted or tuned out
  • seem not to listen
  • have trouble paying attention or keeping attention
  • miss instructions or not follow them well
  • need many reminders to do things
  • lose homework or forget what to do

While these can be signs of ADHD, there are other possible causes. It’s important to rule these out or a child can be misdiagnosed with ADHD and get the wrong treatment.

Other causes of attention difficulties

Attention difficulties can be caused by the following issues.

Anxiety

Children may be too worried to concentrate.

For example:

  • children with separation anxiety may be distracted because they are worrying something will happen to their parents
  • some children might not hand in homework or respond to teachers because they are worried their answers won't be perfect

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD can be confused with ADHD. Children may be distracted by obsessive thoughts or rituals. They have obsessive worries about bad things happening. When a teacher call on them, they seem like they're not paying attention.

Stress or trauma

Trauma can make it hard for children to pay attention. Children who have been through very scary or stressful experiences can be:

  • nervous
  • jumpy
  • spaced out or hyper-alert

Learning disorders and attention

Children with learning disorders may:

  • struggle with reading, writing, or maths
  • feel frustrated or ashamed
  • avoid tasks or welcome distractions
  • appear inattentive when they’re actually overwhelmed

Some children work hard to hide their difficulties until schoolwork becomes too challenging.

Auditory processing problems

Children may miss parts of what’s said, even if they’re listening, which is often mistaken for not paying attention.

Importance of accurate diagnosis

A proper diagnosis should involve:

  • input from parents, teachers, and caregivers
  • observations in different settings (home and school)
  • rating scales to measure behaviour over time
  • comparison with children of the same age

A mental health expert should assess your child before any diagnosis is made. This helps ensure they get the right support and treatment.