Author: Shenessa Barretto | Jun 30, 2017
Recently Yogesh, a very intelligent 16 year old came to me for a learning assessment. He loves photography and pondering about life. However, Yogesh has a limited attention span and dislikes writing. I was concerned that the 3-session assessment would be a challenge for me since the tests I conduct involve listening to instructions carefully, problem solving and writing. This can get tedious for someone who has trouble focusing on tasks.
My first session with Yogesh was spent listening to his constant complaining about how boring the tasks were! He frequently questioned me about the necessity of doing them. My spirits fell as I wondered how I would be able to finish the next two sessions. During our weekly team meeting when I shared my concerns with my colleagues, it was suggested that I give Yogesh frequent breaks which were on my terms and not his. I thought it was well worth a try. At the next session, I informed Yogesh about taking a break after every task that was completed. This plan was well received and it worked very effectively for the next two sessions.
Yogesh was able to complete all the tasks when he was given a chance to walk around, go to the balcony and listen to a song on his phone. The timer was used to make sure he didn’t exceed the break time given. What I leant from Yogesh is how important it is to give the children short restorative breaks between tasks. This applies to all children, not just those with a limited attention span. Giving children a choice of activity during breaks works even better as it refreshes the mind and keeps them interested and engaged during the more strenuous tasks.
