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Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

  • 1.  Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 05-11-2018 12:12 AM
    Hello,

    Can someone recommend research-based journal articles or books on the typical norms and development of the attention span in young children?

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    Claudine Dumais
    Mission Viejo CA
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  • 2.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 05-12-2018 04:05 PM
    You might want to check out the Teaching Strategies Gold Standards. They have a continuum from birth through third grade.

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    Jennifer Monson
    ECE, Denver Public Schools
    Denver CO
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  • 3.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 05-15-2018 01:37 PM
    I hadn't been aware of the Teaching Strategies Gold resource and will be tracking that down. TY so much.

    What I have done is to contact CHADD.org (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The National Resource Center on ADHD of the CDC( Centers for Disease Control)  is based there. If/when I get references from them I'll will post them here.

    Meanwhile for anyone needing info on ADHD, I highly recommend CHADD and the NRC on ADHD.
    http://chadd.org/Understanding-ADHD/For-Professionals/For-Teachers.aspx

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    Mary Wonderlick
    co facilitator
    At Risk & Special Needs Interest Forum
    Chicago IL
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  • 4.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-22-2021 11:13 AM
    Hello!

    I realize this is an old thread, but I am very interested if anyone has found any research on this topic?  I believe the general rule is 3 minutes per year (e.g., 4-year-olds = 12 minutes), but I can't find any reliable sources to back this up.

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    Adelicia Brienzo
    Education Specialist
    Illinois Resource Center
    Palos Heights IL
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  • 5.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-23-2021 09:19 AM
    That's an interesting question and I wonder if a number of minutes correlating with an age gives much useful information.  If a four year old "should" be able to pay attention for 12 minutes I would ask questions like--Pay attention to what?  What does paying attention mean? What does it look like?  I see many teachers who say that children aren't paying attention when their learning style and the way that they process information is different than expected.  Some children are paying attention while staring into space, laying on their stomachs, moving their body around, etc.  Some can pay attention for half an hour to something that is interesting and engaging for them but for less than a minute to an adult lecturing them.  Some can't pay attention easily to verbal input but an to visual input.  For me, as someone who supports teachers and parents to understand child development, I don't know if it's a useful benchmark but it's been interesting to think about.

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    Aren Stone
    she/her/hers
    Child Development Specialist
    The Early Years Project
    Cambridge, MA
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  • 6.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-25-2021 10:15 PM
    Aren really good points.  I love the fact that kinesthetic learners cannot learn and listen if you make them sit still, because they are then expending all of their energy trying to sit still, but if you let them roam, they are able to listen and absorb whatever the lesson is.  Attention and learning look so different from person to person.

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    Joanie Calem
    Music and Inclusion Specialist
    Sing Along
    Columbus, OH
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  • 7.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-27-2021 11:16 AM
    There were a good many excellent suggestions about attention here. Sharon Rodgers, in post 7, offered the clearest description of attention issues, and it was written in 2020. The research is coming in fast regarding this issue. In 2017 a pilot study presented evidence that Mothers, or other earliest caregivers, train attention in the first year of a child's life if their behavior is "synchronous:" working closely with their child. The research is ongoing, but it would change many of the conclusions of the 2010 research that Sharon also presented for us. I'm excited to see experimental research raised as an important issue in early childhood education.

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    Jack Wright
    Child Development Consultant
    Success With Children
    St Ignatius MT
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  • 8.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-27-2021 12:14 AM
    Here is an article that addresses supports and distractions for attention...perhaps better questions to ask! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3015160/

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    Sharon Jackson
    Consultant, Professional Development Specialist
    Early Essentials
    College Sta TX
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  • 9.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-27-2021 12:15 AM
    Hello--

    This is not a scientific source but I thought the ideas and suggestions in it were interesting: https://www.kids-houston.com/2020/08/21/what-are-normal-attention-spans-for-children/

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    Sharon Jackson
    Consultant, Professional Development Specialist
    Early Essentials
    College Sta TX
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  • 10.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 10-27-2021 12:17 AM
    Hello--

    Here are a couple of studies on attention in young children. The interesting thing to me is that they don't focus at all on the length of time but more on the environment that fosters better attention, use of language to increase attention and distractors that inhibit or decrease attention. Maybe we should ask questions along those lines instead of "how long" and then our original question wouldn't be necessary? Just some ideas...

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3015160/
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511648/

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    Sharon Jackson
    Consultant, Professional Development Specialist
    Early Essentials
    College Sta TX
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  • 11.  RE: Published Research on Attention Span Norms for 0-8years

    Posted 05-15-2018 01:42 PM
    Duh, Claudine. Just noticed where you are from and you are located in one of the ADHD meccas in the US. UC Irvine. Sorry, I have no names of people for you to contact, but I bet you can easily connect with their adhd research and treatment departments.

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    Mary Wonderlick
    co facilitator
    At Risk & Special Needs Interest Forum
    Chicago IL
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