High School: How To Tell If Your Child Has A Short Attention Span

How can I determine if my high school-age child has a short attention span?

If a high school child has a short attention span, we would hear reports from the school that the child's not staying on task or engaged for the entire instructional period. At home it's very hard to determine whether a high school child's having trouble with their attention span because most tasks a high school student engages in are about 1-15 minutes long. “Hi, Mom! Bye, Mom! Hey, Dad, can I borrow the keys?” They're always on the go, and they're always multitasking. In the area of homework, however, we might notice that the child is having trouble staying on task, completing homework and sticking to it. This is indicative of a short attention span.