Back to School: Attention, Focus, and Weak Core Muscles
As we have passed the Holidays, and days filled with moving around exploring outside and playing all day have been replaced with sitting at a desk for a large portion of the day. Has your child’s teacher mentioned that he is not able to focus? Maybe your child is abnormally fidgety or restless? Has the teacher told you that she notices your boy not running after his friends during recess? These symptoms may all be related to poor core strength.
Core strength comes from the muscles of the trunk, including the abdominals and erector spinae among others! Whether running or sitting, these muscles are working all day to keep us upright. When these muscles are weak, children often have to use other methods to keep themselves upright such as propping up on the desk with their elbows or they will end up slumping over the desk. These children may also be seen fidgeting, seem tired, or sit in a “w-sit” position with their legs while on the floor. It is especially hard for a kiddo with trunk weakness to pay attention in school because he is just trying to find a way to stay upright! In addition to problems in the classroom, kids with core weakness often avoid large gross motor movements and play, such as running, jumping, skipping, or hopping because they are just too challenging.
If any of these symptoms describe your child, call your pediatrician and request a visit with your local pediatric physical or occupational therapist! A Physical or Occupational Therapist will create a plan of care to address the limitations caused by core weakness to improve your child’s ability to participate both in the classroom and on the playground!
Natalie Holman, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Tri-County Therapy
Visual timers are very beneficial in helping make participation in necessary activities more tolerable. Visual times are valuable to help with transitioning, as they provide a “warning” to children with transition difficulties that a task is going to begin or end shortly. Visual timers can also help with staying on task while completing non-preferred activities or act as a timer to let a child know when her preferred activity will end. There are many types of visual timers, you can use the timer on your phone, a digital timer, a kitchen timer, etc.
