Why Your Child Can't Concentrate: Focus, Distraction and ADHD with Professor Sam Wass

If you’ve ever wondered why your child can spend 40 minutes talking about Minecraft but can’t concentrate for four minutes on homework, this episode explains everything.

I’m joined again by Professor Sam Wass, and if you heard his previous episodes, you’ll know why parents loved them. In today’s conversation, Sam breaks down what concentration actually is from a neuroscience perspective, why young children are wired to be easily distracted, and why some children struggle far more than others in noisy classrooms, during revision, or when faced with a blank page.

We dig into the two types of concentration every child needs, why the frontal cortex develops painfully slowly, how screens hijack attention, and why understanding something is the single biggest predictor of whether a child can focus on it.

If you’re battling procrastination, homework refusal, or a child who “just can’t sit still,” this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been missing

If you want to understand your child’s brain - and finally stop blaming them (or yourself) for something that’s biological, predictable, and fixable - you need to listen to this.

Highlights from this episode:

02:40 - Concentrating through doing

09:20 - Two ways to structure learning tasks

15:46 - My name is Sam and I am a Candy Crush addict

21:53 - Build on interests

27:24 - Stress and concentration

34:39 - Screen time

38:56 - We are prediction machines

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(446)

GCSE Results Day: What Your Child Needs From You in the Next 24 Hours

GCSE results day isn’t really about grades - it’s about emotions. Everyone is feeling a lot of things, from the moment you wake up, to opening that envelope, and then processing whatever is inside.In ...

19 Elo 21min

Bucket Emptying: 5 Ways to Support Your Teenager When Plans Change

If your teenager’s exam results were not what you expected, your plans might be making some sudden changes. That’s ok, and this episode is for you.Whether your child didn’t get the grades they hoped f...

16 Elo 12min

What to Say to Your Teenager on Results Day (Whatever the Grades)

Results Day is one of the most emotionally-charged moments in your teenager’s life, and what you say in the first hours after they open that envelope can shape their confidence, their resilience, and ...

12 Elo 26min

Bucket Emptying: One Rule for Screens This Summer

A must‑listen for every parent navigating the screen‑time battle this summer!Today, I cut through the overwhelm with one simple, highly effective rule that stops arguments, protects your child’s sleep...

9 Elo 13min

Screen Time, Sleep, and Your Child's Mood: What You Are Missing

Screens aren’t just distracting your child - they’re quietly disrupting the one thing their brain and body cannot function without: sleep. And when sleep quality drops, everything else follows: mood, ...

5 Elo 22min

Bucket Emptying: 5 Things to Say When Your Child Won't Try Something

Fear of failure is one of the most misunderstood challenges parents face, especially when you’re raising a bright, capable child who refuses to try anything unless success is guaranteed.Today, I break...

2 Elo 15min

When Your Child Won't Try Anything New: Fear of Failure and the Resilience Gap

If you’re watching your bright, capable child refuse to try anything unless success is guaranteed, this episode is going to feel like oxygen.I’m breaking down exactly what’s really driving fear of fai...

29 Heinä 25min

Bucket Emptying: Five Ways to Support Your Sensitive Child Without Wrapping Them in Cotton Wool

In this episode, I’m tackling one of the most confusing challenges parents face: how to support a highly sensitive child without wrapping them in cotton wool or pushing them too hard. If your child fe...

26 Heinä 19min