Children With Focus Problems

Learning Disabilities

• Learning disabilities are problems that affect the brain's ability to receive, process, analyze or store information, according to TeensHealth. Such problems make it challenging for children to learn at the speed children without these disabilities do. There are numerous types of learning disabilities, and often children with learning disabilities have more than one type. Some types of disabilities interfere with the child's ability to focus and concentrate as the mind wonders too frequently. Difficulty reading, writing or spelling can also make focusing more challenging.

Attention Disorders

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common childhood disorders that may continue into the teen years and adulthood, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Symptoms of the disorder include trouble paying attention and focusing as well as over-activity and problems controlling behavior. Children are distracted easily and often bounce quickly from one activity to another, leaving such activities unfinished. They also daydream often rather than focus on the task at hand. While the causes of ADHD include genetic and environmental factors, too much sugar can worsen symptoms.

Depression

• Like adults, occasional sadness in children does not necessarily indicate depression, though depression symptoms in children are often the same as those in adults. These include irritability, continual feelings of sadness, lack of interest in friends or activities, fatigue and changes in appetite. Difficulty or inability to concentrate is also a symptom of childhood depression, though different symptoms can appear in different children. If you notice that your child has problems concentrating look for other symptoms of depression before making a diagnosis.

Stress

• Major stress in a child's life can render them unable to focus, such as problems with bullies at school. Children who are always on their guard from bullies often have difficulty focusing on schoolwork or other tasks. Stress in the home due to abuse, illness or death in the family, fighting parents or problems with siblings may also lead to focus issues. Stress due to divorce, particularly if the divorce is not civil and children are younger, can also lead to concentration problems. Relocation and starting a new school is another factor in lack of focus as relocation can cause high amounts of stress.