A child's absent-mindedness

A child's absent-mindedness may be due to the fact that he is not yet able to consciously control himself. Attention itself depends on some mental processes occurring in the human brain. At the initial stage, the child needs motivation and control from the parents - you need to show the baby the right direction for concentration.

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Causes the child's absent-mindedness

Schoolchildren may suffer from absent-mindedness due to certain illnesses, conflicts with teachers, peers, relatives, etc. In such an environment, the child will be constantly tense, which will not allow him to concentrate. When signs of absent-mindedness appear, you need to find out what is the reason for such behavior of the child, and then solve this problem by eliminating the cause.

There are also cases when a child has absent-mindedness from birth - this is a consequence of some features of the activity of his nervous system. These features are caused by the uneven development of functions and processes occurring in the child's brain. With such problems, the baby will not be able to concentrate for a long time, will quickly get tired and constantly switch from one thing to another.

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Pathogenesis

Inattention and absent-mindedness in a child is often one of the symptoms of ADHD. With this disease, the child has absent-mindedness of the "fluttering" type of attention. Signs of this type of disorder are weak concentration and rapid involuntary switching.

This disease is characterized not only by absent-mindedness - such a child is also very mobile and overly active - he cannot sit in one place for a long time and do one thing. Such children tend to quickly switch from one job to another, even if the thing they are doing is really interesting to them.

A child with ADHD gets into everything and always finds a way to do something wrong. In addition, he is very restless, constantly forgets something, and is quite clumsy. In some cases, he cannot learn to stand on 1 leg.

The manifestation of signs of the disease usually begins at school - that's when doctors make this diagnosis. The schoolchild disrupts classes, spins, fidgets, disturbs the teacher and other children. And he does this completely unintentionally. Children diagnosed with ADHD often have various talents and are quite smart, but at the same time they cannot demonstrate these skills.

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Symptoms the child's absent-mindedness

Absent-mindedness in a child – how to recognize and define it? Below are some symptoms that indicate the presence of such a problem:

• Hyperexcitability, restlessness, constant fussiness;
• Very often changes the business he is doing, abandons it without finishing it;
• Cannot concentrate on one specific task;
• Memory problems.

Parents should also pay attention to the following signs that indicate the development of inattention in a child:

• The child cannot concentrate on a specific task, constantly being distracted from it;
• Always loses or forgets his school things, toys and other supplies;
• Constantly avoids any work that requires concentration, patience and perseverance;
• Problems with school performance arise due to the fact that the child cannot complete even the smallest tasks, makes mistakes in simple situations;
• He completes any task much later than other children;
• Characterized by dreaminess;
• Doesn't listen to instructions;
• May switch to another task without completing the previous one.

In general, some symptoms may appear in every child from time to time, but if such problems are constantly present in a schoolchild, it is necessary to look for the cause of such behavior.

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First signs

Children who have just started school are often quite inattentive and absent-minded – their ability to concentrate has not yet developed. But it is necessary to improve this skill, just like the ability to read, write, and count. Attention manifests itself as the precise execution of functions related to it. Attentive behavior allows you to receive clear and distinct images, and in general all thinking processes in this case occur much faster. And a person acts more clearly and accurately.

Carefully monitor your child's behavior - absent-mindedness in a child can lead to problems with school performance. If you find that your child has been showing the following symptoms for more than six months, you should take him to a psychologist for a consultation:

• Makes mistakes due to his own carelessness, cannot concentrate on small details;
• Doesn't listen when people talk to him, can't hold his attention for long;
• Constantly distracted by what is happening around;
• Cannot finish what he started;
• Tries to avoid tasks that involve stress;
• Forgetful - while performing a task, he may forget how to do it;
• Loses things that are needed to complete the task.

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Absent-mindedness and inattention in a child

Nowadays, schooling requires children not only to develop mentally and physically, but also to learn to quickly perceive and process a large amount of information. In addition, during the same period of time, many internal changes occur in their mental and physical state. Individual character traits, learning ability, and motivation can also have an impact. All this can cause the symptom of absent-mindedness in a child.

In elementary school, a child is required not only to be attentive, but also to be perseverant and accurate – all of which are quite difficult for him to do at first.

A student may also be inattentive due to conflicts with peers, teachers, problems in the family. If there are younger children, the child may be jealous of them, he may also be afraid of his parents, quarrel with the teacher or classmates. All these reasons affect concentration and focus.

If a schoolchild has been unable to concentrate for a long time (more than 6 months) and is absent-minded even when working on something interesting for him, you should immediately contact a neurologist. It is possible that the child has hyperactive syndrome. In this case, the help of a qualified specialist will be needed to solve the problem.

Absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and inattention in children

Absent-mindedness in a child can happen for various reasons. Among them is hyperactivity syndrome, which manifests itself in the fact that he often behaves completely uncontrollably. In addition, he may show a lack of attention and concentration, excessive anxiety, absent-mindedness. In principle, a child should be so active and restless, but when he behaves too abruptly, completely uncontrollable, this is a bad sign.

There are a number of signs that are considered to be manifestations of hyperactivity syndrome in a child. Among them:

• Inability to concentrate even when performing an interesting task that has always captivated the child;
• The child talks a lot, is inattentive, absent-minded, constantly forgets something, is restless;
• Unable to coordinate own movements;
• It is difficult for him to organize himself for games, study, and rest;
• Does not want to follow general rules - at home, at school, during games;
• Very active and mobile all the time;
• Mood changes constantly, emotional swings occur.

If you discover at least a third of the above-described signs in your child, you should immediately contact a doctor who specializes in treating childhood hyperactivity.

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Absent-mindedness in children of primary school age

There are 2 groups into which inattentive and overly absent-minded children can be divided:

The first of them includes children who did not suffer from absent-mindedness up to a certain point. In this case, the cause of the problem could be some long-term chronic disease that eventually exhausted his nervous system. In addition to this factor, absent-mindedness in a child can be a consequence of problems in the family or a conflict at school. Due to internal tension, the child is unable to concentrate on studying and other daily activities.

The second group consists of children who have absent-mindedness syndrome from birth. They are such because of a weak nervous system - they have a congenital unevenness in the development of brain functions. This deficiency has the greatest impact on attentiveness. Such children suffer from a lack of energy, constantly changing the task they are doing. They can notice many different little things in the environment, note various details, but at the same time they will not be able to concentrate on what the teacher is explaining. This is not their fault, it is all about a congenital disease, which they are unable to overcome.

Absent-mindedness of a primary school child

For a child who has reached the age of 7, the main activity is school education. This process seriously changes the functioning of all mental processes occurring in his body. Attentiveness also undergoes some changes, because studying requires more serious concentration from the child. Very often, problems with academic performance in younger students are revealed in the lack of concentration, the inability to understand the teacher's requirements, to concentrate on their own work. All this usually causes the greatest complaints from the teacher.

At first, the attentiveness of first-graders is poorly developed and is almost no different from the behavior of preschoolers - these children are not yet able to simultaneously listen to a story about the life of an artist and look at his painting - they focus on one thing. Absent-mindedness in a child is manifested in the fact that when performing a difficult task, he will quickly do actions familiar to him, but will immediately forget the essence of the task itself, and how the result was obtained. All this happens because in the process of performing a given action, he will be focused only on one aspect, not paying attention to other nuances.

Complications and consequences

If a child has become forgetful and has started showing signs of absent-mindedness, it may be a consequence of the development of attention deficit syndrome. And this syndrome may appear as a result of another disease or be an independent problem. The disease may be accompanied by a general state of weakness and may arise against the background of an infection or virus or problems with the endocrine system. So it should be understood that ordinary absent-mindedness in a child can entail serious consequences if it is not treated carefully.

Problems with attention can be a consequence of stress, which makes the child feel depressed and anxious, or a difficult emotional situation that has happened to him. So, if you notice the manifestation of such signs as the inability to perceive speech and maintain concentration, send the child for an examination. You will need to consult a neurologist and undergo a medical examination. This will help to avoid the occurrence of various complications, because the doctor will be able to identify the cause of the problem and prescribe the necessary treatment.

In general, attention problems are considered a sign of illness only if there are other somatic or neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Diagnostics the child's absent-mindedness

If you notice the following signs in your child, and they are also observed on a regular basis, you should be wary. It is possible that he/she has been affected by ADHD. The symptoms are as follows:

• Lack of concentration, the child is constantly distracted from work;
• Often forgets where he put his books, toys, pens, or loses them altogether;
• Avoids tasks that require attention to detail and patience;
• May jump from one activity to another, does not respond to advice, directions and instructions;
• The child is characterized by a state of dreaminess;
• Unable to fully complete even a small task, constantly makes small mistakes.

Of course, some of these symptoms are common to most children, but if your child exhibits most of them, and does so more often than other peers, you should be wary. Absent-mindedness in a child can be a consequence of some disease and manifest itself anywhere - both in kindergarten or school and at home. Inattention does not depend on what the child is doing - playing or studying.

It is important to identify this syndrome at an early stage of its development. Children's inability to concentrate and susceptibility to absent-mindedness are dangerous because if this problem is ignored in the future, it will become more serious. With age, it will be much more difficult for the child to cope with its consequences.

Tests

Attention is the ability to focus the mental activity of the brain on one specific object. Every person without exception is capable of involuntarily focusing their attention.

Attentiveness itself is an established character trait of a mature person. An absent-minded child can focus his attention on some task or object, but he will not be able to fully concentrate. This happens because in childhood such a quality as attentiveness cannot yet become a personal character trait.

Absent-mindedness in a child may be a consequence of some disease – inflammation of the nasopharynx, the appearance of adenoids, problems with the brain. It is better to analyze the problem with the help of a qualified specialist to find out the cause of the disorder and make a clear diagnosis.

When trying to find out the reasons for absent-mindedness, you should first analyze your child's daily routine. There is a possibility that he does not get enough sleep, he lacks attention, he is not getting the right nutrition, he is very tired. It is quite possible that this is the reason for the child's absent-mindedness and inattention. Then all that remains is to eliminate the interfering factor, and everything will improve in his behavior.

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Instrumental diagnostics

If symptoms of absent-mindedness appear, you can undergo instrumental diagnostics. The examination course is carried out using the following devices:

• X-ray of the cervical vertebrae to determine the level of their pathological mobility and whether the child has scoliosis;
• Ultrasound of the brain to find out if there are any organic or congenital abnormalities in its vessels and tissue;
• Ultrasound Dopplerography (Dopplerography) to determine the condition of the vessel walls – their tortuosity, level of compression, narrowing, etc.;
• Electroencephalography to determine how balanced electrophysiological processes are in the tissues and cells of the brain.

Once the entire diagnostic course has been completed, the cause of the disease can be established and a diagnosis can be made.

Absent-mindedness in a child can be diagnosed using psychological tests. In this case, the development of cognitive processes in the child (involuntary and natural) is studied in detail in an attempt to detect and describe voluntary cognitive reactions and actions in time.

To diagnose attentiveness in a child, you can use the following game methods:

• find and cross out;
• triangles;
• remember the location of the dots and then arrange them correctly;
• proofreading test.

Differential diagnosis

In differential diagnostics of ADHD, which may be one of the causes of absent-minded behavior, pathologies are identified that may be inherent to this disease. Its causes may also be various infectious diseases, disorders in the central nervous system and brain, head injuries, lead poisoning, cerebral hypoxia.

Absent-mindedness in a child, as well as dizziness, headaches, hyperactivity, irritability, and sleep problems may be a sign of neurosis or be observed after traumatic brain injury as post-traumatic syndrome.

Problems with a child's behavior may not be a consequence of some disease. Inattention, as well as hyperactivity and impulsiveness, may be due to stress due to the death of someone close, or their illness. Or because the child is getting bored - for example, the school program is too easy for him. This is why there is no need to rush with the diagnosis - the child will need to be under the supervision of doctors for six months.

ADHD with increased activity must be diagnosed based on anamnesis, which is carried out by interviewing the child's parents and questioning his school teachers.

Treatment the child's absent-mindedness

There are different ways to treat attention deficit disorder. They depend on many factors – the causes and origin of this symptom, as well as the person themselves – their character and individual characteristics.

Absent-mindedness in a child can be corrected with the help of special activities aimed at improving concentration. These include puzzles and logical problems that the child must solve. It is also important to clearly distribute the activities throughout the day, allocating more time for physical activity and proper rest. If mental illnesses are not detected in the child, then the cause of absent-mindedness will most likely be a lack of interest in the proposed activities. So at the initial stage of correction, you need to try to solve the problem without using medications. It is necessary to captivate the child so that he himself is interested in what he is doing - then he will be able to concentrate better.

A growing child's body requires a balance of useful vitamins, because its absence can also cause problems with attentiveness. In this case, it will be useful to take a vitamin complex. If the problem arose due to disorders in the immune system, you can undergo a course of treatment with immunostimulants.

Drug treatment

Among the medications that can treat absent-mindedness in a child, psychostimulants stand out, which must be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

• Glycine, which is a nootropic drug. It helps improve mental abilities, increases performance, and affects the increase of protective processes in the central nervous system. The dosage is 1 tablet under the tongue.
• Piracetam, which improves the brain's metabolic process, which helps to better assimilate school material. For children, the daily dose of the drug is 30-50 mg.

Side effects: irritability, anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, tremors, convulsions.

Contraindications: should not be taken by children with diabetes or allergies to fruit juices. Also should not be prescribed to infants under 1 year of age.

• Biotredin, which has a positive effect on cognitive functions of the brain. It increases attentiveness and improves memory. The dosage for children is 2 mg/kg of body weight for 3-10 days.

Contraindications: do not take together with antidepressants, neuroleptics, tranquilizers.

• Phenibut, which helps improve blood flow to the brain, improves brain function, memory, and helps to better remember large amounts of information.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• when breastfeeding;
• liver failure.

The dosage of the medicine for children is 20-250 mg. More precisely, it is prescribed by a doctor, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient.

Side effects: anxiety, irritability, and excessive excitability may occur.

Physiotherapy treatment

Absent-mindedness in a child can be corrected without the use of medications - the course consists of various procedures, including correction by neuropsychological and pedagogical methods, psychotherapy, behavior modification methods. Physiotherapeutic procedures are also used.

• Laser therapy – a course includes 7-10 procedures, during one of which 3-5 areas of the body are irradiated.
• UHF therapy, consisting of 8-10 procedures.
• 5-10 inhalation procedures.
• Course of ultraviolet irradiation of the nasopharynx for 3-5 procedures.
• An ultrasound course consisting of 8-10 procedures.

Parents need to consult a psychotherapist, where they will be explained that they should not perceive such behavior of the child negatively - he does not do it on purpose, so he needs to be treated with patience and understanding. It is also necessary to ensure that the child follows the daily routine - eats at a certain time, does homework, goes to bed. Let him get rid of excess energy during long walks, running, jumping, doing physical exercises.

Because it is difficult for such a child to concentrate, try not to overload him with tasks - let there be only one for a separate period of time. You should also carefully select his play partners - they should be calm and balanced.

Folk remedies

Absent-mindedness in a child can be treated with some folk remedies.

For example, juniper berries are good. They need to be eaten, starting with 1 piece per day, and so, gradually increasing by one, to reach 12 pieces. Then it is necessary to conduct the reverse course - in descending order.

• Prickly thistle - pour 20g of boiling water over the grass and leave on low heat for 10 minutes. The resulting infusion should be drunk 3-4 times a day, 1 tbsp.

Mix 2 parts of chopped dry root of pink rhodiola and echinacea and add hop cones (1 part) to the resulting mixture. A tablespoon of this mixture is poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for a quarter of an hour. Honey (2 tsp) is added to the resulting decoction and drunk throughout the day, dividing the contents into 3 parts. This course lasts about a month.

• The immortelle herb is poured with boiling water (about 10 grams), after which this tincture should be wrapped in a towel and left to infuse for 30-40 minutes. When the decoction is ready, it should be drunk in a dosage of a third of a glass. The procedure is performed 3 times a day.

Very useful for the body as a whole, and improving attentiveness in particular, is ordinary garlic. Eat 1-2 cloves before each meal.

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Herbal treatment

There are various ways to improve a child's attention. Taking medicinal herbs will not hurt in this case. They have a positive effect on the body, although we must not forget that such treatment should also be prescribed by a doctor. Herbs such as chamomile and lemon balm work well against absent-mindedness in children. They promote better concentration, having a calming effect.

Phytotherapy is also a method used.

• A positive effect is provided by hawthorn tincture - it is drunk a quarter of a glass daily. The recipe is as follows: the flowers of the herb (1 tbsp.) are poured with a glass of hot water and infused for 2 hours;
• Drink 2-3 tablets of valerian tincture daily – it also has a calming, softening effect;
• A medicinal herbal mixture consisting of various herbs. It includes motherwort (take a dose of 3 parts), immortelle (also includes 3 parts), hawthorn (again 3 parts of the mixture), chamomile in the form of flower baskets (in the amount of 1 part). Next, take 1 tbsp. of the resulting product, pour a glass of boiling water, and leave for 8 hours. Then strain the mixture and take twice a day after meals, half a glass at a time.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy can be used as an alternative to drug treatment. It can be prescribed if the child has a toxic or allergic reaction to medications. Homeopathic remedies improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the body's defenses, treat adenoids and behavioral problems - for example, absent-mindedness in a child.

This symptom can be observed in the presence of hyperactivity syndrome. The child not only becomes too noisy, violent and uncontrollable, but also behaves inattentively - can forget, lose things, etc. Numerous examinations have shown that with such a disease, the behavior of children who took individual doses of homeopathic remedies improved significantly - they became calmer, more careful, more attentive, constant absent-mindedness disappeared. Among the most effective homeopathic remedies for ADHD:

• Stramonium, used in the form of a decoction for baths, 20 g of the product is taken per bucket of water (dilution level 3 or 6);
• Cina – the course lasts 2-3 months, take 7 granules of the drug 1 time/week;
• Hyoscyamus niger, used under the guise of bleached oil, which is used for external rubbing into the skin.

Prevention

If your child shows signs of inattention, this does not mean that he is sick. For prevention purposes, you can train his voluntary attention from an early age - you can give the child a mirror in which he will look at himself, trying to concentrate on what is happening. There are also a huge number of toys that help develop concentration. In infancy, children can be shown various objects, explaining what they are for. This also trains voluntary attention well.

If you notice that your child is absent-minded, you should buy him games that will develop his attentiveness, such as lotto, mosaics or puzzles. Play these games with your child – tell him about the rules, explain how to assemble a picture from separate parts, etc. Joint activities should captivate the child, helping him learn concentration.

For a school-age student, you need to create an atmosphere that sets him up for work. You should not put a table by the window so that the child is not distracted by what is happening outside. Also, while he is doing his homework, you need to keep the house quiet. It would also be a good idea to seat him at the front desks at school so that he can concentrate on the teacher and the board.

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Forecast

The disorder described as "fluttering" attention does not require special treatment. It mainly occurs due to illness or fatigue. In this case, absent-mindedness in a child will be a temporary phenomenon. But only if the cause of its origin is identified and eliminated. Such pathology occurs due to a temporary decrease in mobility in a child in nervous processes. The cause may be cerebral atherosclerosis or oxygen starvation of the brain.

Often parents of children suffering from absent-mindedness and memory loss send them to a doctor to find out how serious this disorder is and how it should be treated. What is the prognosis for treating constant absent-mindedness in this case?

Often it is quite positive, since special treatment is not required when there is difficulty switching attention and problems with concentration. Basically, this is a consequence of ordinary fatigue - it can be mental or emotional, as well as physical. When overtired, a person becomes absent-minded and loses the ability to concentrate normally. It is clear that in such a situation, you should simply give the body a rest or change the environment for a while.