Lack of concentration in Aspie's
03 Nov 2011, 10:59 am
I sympathise. When I was his age, I was finding it impossible to focus on schoolwork or the plots of films and TV shows, or reading books. Not knowing of AS, I thought I had brain damage of some kind, and (probably because of AS) I didn't try to get help. It was very frustrating and scary.
There's a kind of vicious cycle where it gets scary that you can't focus, and the anxiety makes the concentration even worse. So it's important to try not to worry, and to avoid trying to prove anything......frankly a lot of the stuff I was trying to take in was boring me, and Aspies often have a particularly hard time focussing on things they have no natural interest in. If the focus thing is only happening at times, it may be best to just accept it, though Aspies often hate giving up.
With books, I used to have this thing where I'd "read" a page of text and then realise that I hadn't translated a single word into thought! That went on for years. One helpful thing was to take notes in my own words, taking each paragraph one by one, to force myself to understand it. I had to create fixed boundaries, to commit myself to reading a set number of pages (or even just a couple of sentences if it was particularly hard going).....the clear-cut, fixed nature of the target was helpful. It was always a mistake to pick up a huge book with no clear idea of when I was going to stop - that way, the task felt infinite and very daunting.
I remember trying to read "Full Moon" by P.G.Wodehouse and getting nowhere at first. The same old problems were locking in. But I took a hard look at the situation, and wrote out a list of the characters and their relationships with each other. Once I'd done that, the book suddenly because easy to read, and years later I realised that the problem had been that the story was quite socially complex, with perhaps 10 characters interacting, with love triangles etc., so it wasn't all that surprising that my first attempt to fathom it had bit the dust. It's also good evidence that Aspies can understand complex social interactions once they put their minds to it. You have to give yourself time.
With TV and films, it's often face-recognition that spoils things. Again, I try not to worry too much - after all, it's only TV. If I really want to follow the plot, I may have to keep re-winding the tape, I may need to deliberately look at the characters and check out their recognisable features.
Check that nothing is causing a distraction. Sometimes there's too much background noise of the wrong kind, or too much internal noise in the form of my own thoughts.
It certainly got better for me. I still have the same basic attention defecit, but I have those coping strategies now, and I was lucky enough to have indulged in some special interests that fascinated me so much that I could hardly get my attention off them. As I also believed in the validity of what I was doing, so the only problem left was when I was forced to put my attention on things I wasn't interested in, and even that became easier when I realised it was mostly a matter of giving myself time to get used to the new topic.
Good luck!
03 Nov 2011, 11:15 am
I remember trying to read "Full Moon" by P.G.Wodehouse and getting nowhere at first. The same old problems were locking in. But I took a hard look at the situation, and wrote out a list of the characters and their relationships with each other. Once I'd done that, the book suddenly because easy to read, and years later I realised that the problem had been that the story was quite socially complex, with perhaps 10 characters interacting, with love triangles etc., so it wasn't all that surprising that my first attempt to fathom it had bit the dust. It's also good evidence that Aspies can understand complex social interactions once they put their minds to it. You have to give yourself time.
Wow, ToughDiamond -- this is REALLY helpful information that I had never thought of. The next time my son reads a novel for high school, I'm going to suggest that he do this first. That's just excellent information and a great way to "fix" the nature of a project that seems insurmountable to somebody who has a rough time reading and understanding fiction.
Worriedmum, my 15 year old has had the same problem, and it has been especially hard for the last couple of years. I know that meds don't help everyone, but we have seen our son's concentration improve greatly once we found a doctor who was a specialist with ADD-type problems (focus, concentration), and one who is willing to try a variety of meds in a variety of dosages. Even with the stimulants, it took finding the right combination of stimulants WITH an anti-anxiety for things to really work. If you have questions, PM me.
Ichinin
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03 Nov 2011, 11:19 am
Could be a comorbid condition like ADD/ADHD which isn't uncommon with Autism.
I remember having similar problems when i was that age - and it didn't exactly help me in the job market. Luckily i found a job that allowed me to work on many projects as i saw fit so my brain didn't get bored and i'd end up on unemployment benefits again.
So... my tip is that you may want to start looking into potential jobs right now and save some pain and time.
_________________
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" (Carl Sagan)
03 Nov 2011, 11:24 am
I can only concentrate on things that I'm interested in. In school, this meant roller-coaster grades.
If the subject material stimulated me, I would Ace it. If it disinterested me, I would fail. Sometimes this disparity would exist within a single class. For example, I got a C grade (75%) in a Biology class. I aced the Taxonomy ., Cellular Function and Dissection, but completely failed Physiology and Sexual Reproduction.
If you can encourage the interest of the AS child in the subject, their obsessiveness may carry them through by itself. If they hate maths, then, allowing them to take the minimum required maths classes would be better than trying to force them to focus on it.
Nuturing an AS child's innate interests should yield better results than the strict parent model, qf:
This model posits a traditional nuclear family, with the father having primary responsibility for supporting and protecting the family as well as the authority to set overall policy, to set strict rules for the behavior of children, and to enforce the rules. The mother has the day-to-day responsibility for the care of the house, raising the children, and upholding the father's authority. Children must respect and obey their parents; by doing so they build character, that is, self-discipline and self-reliance. Love and nurturance are, of course, a vital part of family life but can never outweigh parental authority, which is itself an expression of love and nurturance—tough love. Self-discipline, self-reliance, and respect for legitimate authority are the crucial things that children must learn.
Once children are mature, they are on their own and must depend on their acquired self-discipline to survive. Their self-reliance gives them authority over their own destinies, and parents are not to meddle in their lives.
The liberal worldview centers on a very different ideal of family life, the Nurturant Parent model:
Love, empathy, and nurturance are primary, and children become responsible, self-disciplined and 'self-reliant through being cared for, respected, and caring for others, both in their family and in their community. Support and protection are part of nurturance, and they require strength and courage on the part of parents. The obedience of children comes out of their love and respect for their parents and their community, not out of the fear of punishment. Good communication is crucial. If their authority is to be legitimate, parents must explain why their decisions serve the cause of protection and nurturance. Questioning by children is seen as positive, since children need to learn why their parents do what they do and since children often have good ideas that should be taken seriously. Ultimately, of course, responsible parents have to make the decisions, and that must be clear.
The principal goal of nurturance is for children to be fulfilled and happy in their lives. A fulfilling life is assumed to be, in significant part, a nurturant life—one committed to family and community responsibility. What children need to learn most is empathy for others, the capacity for nurturance, and the maintenance of social ties, which cannot be done without the strength, respect, self-discipline, and self-reliance that comes through being cared for. Raising a child to be fulfilled also requires helping that child develop his or her potential for achievement and enjoyment. That requires respecting the child's own values and allowing the child to explore the range of ideas and options that the world offers.
When children are respected, nurtured, and communicated with from birth, they gradually enter into a lifetime relationship of mutual respect, communication, and caring with their parents.
link to article quote taken from here
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