ATTENTION SPAN

ATTENTION SPAN Attention span is the degree to which a child demon- strates sustained focus on designated tasks and activi- ties, especially in school. During the preschool and early elementary school ages, attention span varies with age, gender, and type of activity. A longer atten- tion span is generally found in older children than in younger children, and in girls more often than in boys. Children are usually able to maintain a longer attention span when performing tasks that match their abilities and interests. An adequate attention span is an important part of learning in a classroom setting, enabling children to organize and consolidate important features of the subjects being studied. Most children develop the ex- pected level of concentration in the course of ordi- nary school experience. But for those with short attention spans, learning problems sometimes devel- op, including over-attention to irrelevant details of tasks and general restlessness and overactive move- ments that distract them from their focus. Attention span problems are frequently reported in children with learning disabilities, such as those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). See also: ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER Bibliography Guevremont, David, and Russell Barkley. ‘‘Attention Deficit Hyp- eractivity Disorder in Children.’’ In Stephen Hooper, George Hynd, and Robert Mattison eds., Child Psychopathology: Diag- nostic Criteria and Clinical Assessment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1992. Hunt, Earl. ‘‘Verbal Ability.’’ In Robert Sternberg ed., Human Abili- ties. New York: Freeman, 1985. Thompson, Ross. ‘‘The Individual Child: Temperament, Emotion, Self, and Personality.’’ In Marc Bornstein and Michael Lamb eds., Developmental Psychology: An Advanced Textbook, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1999. Nathan W. Gottfrie