If he sits near the teacher, he can stay on task, but there are 20-some other children in the class. It's been hard for him to learn to read. He is finally trying to sound out words and use decoding strategies, but doesn't read for meaning yet and will often guess at a word. There doesn't seem to be an issue with intelligence.

Any suggestions how to best help him concentrate and get the work completed with minimal frustration for both him and the teacher?

Answer: First, always be mindful of the difficulty level of the work that your son is asked to complete. One of the primary causes of student off-task behavior is work that is beyond their instructional range. Provided the difficulty of the work matches the level of support he gets to help him complete it, consider some of the following:

• Sometimes children who have difficulty completing tasks can be motivated through "beat the clock" strategies where they are given a set time to complete a task, a timer to assist in monitoring progress, and a choice of preferred activities after completing the task.
• Self-monitoring strategies can also be helpful. The student is given a written form, divided by intervals of time (e.g. five-minute intervals), and is prompted to record if he is on task. Criteria for rewards can be set.
• Ask the teacher to break up the assignment into manageable portions to lower your son's frustration level. After completing one section of the assignment, seek permission from the teacher for your son to draw a picture related to the story, stretch or stand up at his seat, or do some other non-disruptive physical activity between sections of the assignment.
• Rule out any environmental factors that increase distractibility (e.g. an open window, an air-conditioning unit or heat duct nearby, noisy student seated next to him) and ask the teacher to move him to a place in the classroom where he might be better able to stay on task.
• Peer helpers can also be employed to assist in keeping students on task. Peers, with proper training, can encourage others to stay on task and provide verbal praise (a powerful motivator) for on-task behavior.
• For writing assignments students sometimes find it helpful to dictate the writing sample while being recorded and then transcribe it later. This activity assists the connection between oral and written language.

Dr. Michelle Alvarez is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Indiana and project director of Safe Schools/Healthy Students for the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation. A former school social worker in Pinellas County, Florida, she is currently co-editor of School Social Work: Theory to Practice and chair of the National Association of Social Workers, School Social Work Section. She is also the parent of a special needs child.

Dr. Sterett Mercer is a certified school psychologist at the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation in Evansville, Indiana. He has worked in multiple school districts as a school psychologist, providing assessment, consultation and intervention services to teachers, students and families.

Advice from our experts is not a substitute for medical or other professional advice and services from a qualified health-care provider familiar with your unique situation. We recommend consulting a qualified professional if you have concerns about your child's medical or emotional condition.

August 2006