- Discover why attention is not an inborn personality trait but a skill that develops over time through executive function, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
- Understand how excessive screen stimulation, fast-paced media, anxiety, and overwhelm can interfere with a child’s ability to focus, learn, and stay engaged in everyday tasks.
- Learn why addressing root causes and rebuilding foundational skills such as emotional regulation, impulse control, and energy management may help children develop stronger attention and learning abilities.
Full Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Brain Development Overview 0:00
Everything is connected and I'm here to tell you how. I am Dr. Laura Hanson with Connect My Brain. This podcast is for moms who are concerned about their child's development. The brain impacts our mind, body, and overall health. I explain how your brain is wired, what happens when it's out of balance, and how early childhood development not only impacts your child, but can affect you as an adult years later. Want to know how to improve your life? Join me and learn about your amazing brain and what it can do for you.
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Connect My Child's Brain.
Understanding the Attention Blueprint 0:49
In this episode, we are going to talk about the attention blueprint. So let's break down what it really means to be able to pay attention. In our world, we have so many kids that are labeled attention deficit, attention-deficit hyperactivity. There's even more names. But you may find yourself asking, why is it that my child can sit down and play video games for hours on end, but when they're asked to sit and do homework, the two don't match, like the matching game. when a child's in school, they're not engaging.
That doesn't match. They can really get into the video games and be animated and go with the explosions. So why can't they do that with everything else that we want them to do? So I'm gonna ask you today to think about a mind shift when you think the word attention. The ability to focus is not something that you're born with. It's actually something you learn. And also, there's reasons why this process can be interrupted.
Executive Function and Attention Skills 2:04
So the first mind shift that I want to talk to you about is, it's not a personality trait. We don't look at our child and go, you can pay attention, and you cannot pay. But rather, What is going on that's actually interrupting the building of the skill set that you actually acquire over time? Those skill sets include things like being able to filter out distractions. staying engaged with something even when it's boring, shifting focus when its needed, and regulating impulses which all of these are regulated by the executive system in the front of the brain.
And even today, more and more people talk about how their child has executive function problems and are engaged in therapies now for executive functions, which is actually going to continue into your teenage years.
Modern Stimulation and Emotional Overload 3:11
The development of that executive system goes on and then it's polished in your 20s. So what are some of the interruptions that we're seeing? I think one of greatest interrupts, and this is where my mother goose hat is going to come on, is that these kids are on brain overload. from modern stimulation which interferes with focus. This means fast-paced screen times like video games. It's actually bringing information into the eyes which is going to go to a variety of places in the brain and it's going to begin to program them to only need stimulation, stimulation rather than being able to take on a slower task like schoolwork.
That's why school work may feel more boring to them. The emotional state also directly impacts attention. Anxiety, frustration, overwhelm makes that brain shift out of learning mode and makes it actually go into threat response. So there's so many kids today that are being labeled anxious. Remember, those labels are just describing symptoms. They are not telling you the why behind. And that's what here at Connect My Child's Brain, we are actually trying to get to the root cause of what is going on and then be able to build a plan
Connect My Child's Brain Updates and Events 4:46
that will allow your child to gain the skills that you expect them to have. So, if we lost some of those skills, we have to go back and we has to learn them. We have learn impulse control, emotional regulation, how to manage our energy, and that part of them is still developing. And their underdeveloped in focus will naturally struggle just because so many other parameters are out of sorts. Okay, so now what's going on at Connect My Child's Brain? May 7th, depending upon when you're listening to this podcast, we are having an event at our East Cobb office.
It is a free event. it is for parents so that we can educate you even deeper about these very topics. Also, We have Summer Intensives. Summer intensives are great ways in order to get your child ready for the upcoming school year. So if you want more information, go check out our website, connectmybrain.com, and we will send you a registration link for event and you can see all kinds of different information about services we provide. Hope you have a great day. Be blessed. Thanks for listening. I hope today's lesson will help you or someone you love.
Do you have a question or just really want to talk to somebody about brains? Connect with me over on Facebook or Instagram at Connect My Brain. Looking to understand and optimize your particular brain? Check out connectmybrain.com for course information and resources. See you next class. you
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