Improving concentration in children can be achieved by using clinically proven natural medicines and by exposing them to training in the fundamental cognitive skills that underlie the learning process. The article appeared in Natural Medicine:
Research conducted in Singapore and analyzed by the Center for Evaluation and Assessment has shown that concentration in children may be achieved naturally without the administration of a pharmaceutical drug. The study measured the improvement in cognitive skills of 27 English-speaking schoolchildren in Singapore, aged 10 to 12, after they had attended a condensed 15-hour, five-day training program in cognitive skills compiled by the reading and learning clinic, Edublox.
The study – before and after
Sponsored by the natural medicines company Flordis SA, the study tracked the performance of 27 learners before and after they had completed the intensive cognitive training program. Their results were compared with those of a control group of 25 children of the same age, who also participated in the pre- and post-performance tests, but without exposure to the training in between.
The test results of the 27 trained students showed a significant improvement in concentration, or focused attention, with virtually no change in the control group.
The participants’ concentration was assessed using a Cambridge Brain Sciences online test called ‘Feature Match’ which rated how quickly they were able to identify between a series of complex and similar images.
Concentration defined
‘Everything children learn and do at school requires sustained concentration of at least 20 minutes, and the ability to then re-focus on the same thing again,’ says Sue du Plessis, educational program director of Edublox.
Du Plessis explains that focused attention is the ability to concentrate selectively on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things, which is both physically and mentally demanding. This is very challenging for children with problems like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
To master reading and spelling, children must learn the foundational cognitive skills of perception, memory, and logical thinking.
How the children were trained
The Singapore learners’ concentration and cognitive skills were fine-tuned via a mix of computer-based exercises, tutor-based training in small groups, and application in the form of reading and writing exercises.
Exercises often required the learners to practice more than one cognitive skill simultaneously. For example, learning to replicate a sequence of different colored blocks after they had been removed built spatial and visual memory skills, and improved concentration.
Skills training was multi-sensory. For example, students were also taught to listen to instructions regarding color and spatial sequencing, and then to replicate a pattern after only visualizing, rather than seeing it.
According to Du Plessis, ‘Children are often labeled erroneously as having an attention deficit. However, the problem is often resolved after they have learned how to concentrate properly.’
Skills training and supplementation
Cognitive skills training and supplementation can prove to be a powerful combination.
Identical twins Jeremiah and Joshua van Wyk were born premature and with fetal alcohol syndrome. Joshua managed at school, but Jeremiah was diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, and severe learning disabilities in second grade. He had to repeat the year after which he was promoted to third grade with support. Both boys, however, made impressive progress during their primary school years following both training in cognitive skills and supplementation with nutrients.
The boys’ foster mother, Lameez Armien, resisted putting them on medication and refused to send Jeremiah to a special needs school. Instead, the twins started the Edublox program in July, and by December, Jeremiah’s school teacher reported that his concentration, reading, and handwriting had improved. Although his grades were still very low, he continued doing extra lessons at Edublox with Joshua for two and a half years. His concentration, memory span, and reading had improved significantly by the time they completed the course. In their seventh-grade reports, both boys achieved Bs and Cs in several subjects. Armien attributes this phenomenal achievement to the cognitive skills training they received.
Both boys take omega-3 and 6 daily. Jeremiah has been using KeenMind (Bacopa monnieri) for the past two years and says it has improved his concentration from day one. Joshua believes he has benefited from using BioStrath.
Jeremiah’s success is also due to Armien’s positive attitude. She always told him: ‘You are clever, and you will get there!’
Why is poor concentration so widespread?
‘The education system no longer includes training in the critical foundational skills – even at first-grade level,’ Du Plessis says.
Both Du Plessis and Alan Yip, founder of the Singapore Mind Edge Academy, concur that concentration is challenged globally by multimedia distractions like television, electronic gaming, and smartphone usage.
‘With electronic media, children no longer have to use their imaginations or remember what happened in a radio episode the day before,’ Du Plessis elaborates. ‘Fewer parents read to their children, and so they have also lost out on the opportunity to memorize the words of stories and nursery rhymes being read repeatedly to them.’
How long does cognitive skills training take?
At Edublox, 30 to 40 hours of tuition places a learner on a higher cognitive level. Optimizing reading, spelling, and mathematical performance can take anything from 60 to 210 hours of additional training, depending on the level of difficulty experienced by the child.
Usually, one or two classes per week, combined with homework of a few minutes per day, is recommended. Classes take place after school and are 1,5 hours long.
Du Plessis believes that allopathic medication for ADD should be considered by parents in consultation with appropriate treating professionals only after training in foundational cognitive skills has taken place and clinically natural medicines have been tried.
Edublox has received positive feedback from parents who have used Bacopa monnieri for their children.
View further case studies on the improvement in children’s concentration and school performance after cognitive skills training at: www.edubloxtutor.com.
Tips to improve concentration
Mind Edge founder, Alan Yip, shares some basic concentration tips:
Staying focused during homework or exam preparation
• Tackle the most challenging projects when you are at your peak level of alertness.
• Be positive and tell yourself that you can manage the assignment.
• Ideally, study alone so hat other people won’t interrupt your concentration.
• Get into the right frame of mind. Put all your worries and distractions aside, perhaps by writing them down as a list for later consideration.
• Cut out external distractions like the TV or radio playing in the background. Put your cell phone away.
• Plan what you are going to do before studying. Research shows that this alone can boost your concentration by 200 to 400%.
• Have clear, concrete goals – for example, how many sums or pages of history you are going to learn.
• Study for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Before you switch to the next subject, read just one more page. It’s like doing one more bench press to improve and push your concentration to its maximum limit.
Train your child to concentrate
Train your child to concentrate by doing the following exercises, first for just a minute and then for slightly longer periods of time:
• Close your eyes. Visualize a clear picture of an object like an apple. Hold it still in your mind counting from 30 backward to one.
• Use an inspiring word or phrase like “I can do it!” or “Success” and repeat it in your head for one to five minutes. This helps to build endurance and the muscle of concentration.
• Get your child to count the number of words or punctuation marks in a passage. Then get them to count at a higher level by only using their eyes, and not their fingers.
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