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What Does “Difficulty Paying Attention” Really Mean For a Child?

Many parents and teachers describe children struggling with attention as easily distracted, daydreamy, or “in their own world.” Despite being bright, these children often struggle to stay on task, follow instructions, or finish homework. Emotional outbursts and frustration can also arise. These behaviors are commonly misunderstood as laziness or defiance, but they are often signs of a disorganized brain.

Children who struggle with attention are not lazy or unmotivated. They are often trying hard to focus but lack the internal neurological resources to do so. The causes include:

  • An Underdeveloped or Dysregulated Nervous System

Children with attention difficulties often have a nervous system that is either underactive (hypoaroused) or overactive (hyperaroused). This imbalance prevents their brain from regulating focus and emotions.

  • Sensory Processing Challenges

Children with sensory processing difficulties can’t filter sensory input properly, making them easily distracted by noises, movements, or even their own thoughts.

  • Retained Primitive Reflexes

Primitive reflexes, if retained beyond infancy, can interfere with focus, motor control, and emotional regulation, making it difficult to sit still or concentrate on tasks.

  • Poor Postural Control and Weak Core Stability

Weak posture or a lack of core strength can disrupt focus, as the child’s brain is occupied with stabilizing the body rather than staying engaged in a task.

  • Underdeveloped Vestibular and Proprioceptive Systems

If these systems aren’t well-developed, children may struggle with balance and spatial awareness, leading to distractions and restlessness, which impair attention.

No amount of redirection or consequences will solve these root issues. To truly improve attention, the brain’s underlying systems must be rebalanced. 

The Top-Down Trap: Why Conventional Attention Strategies Often Fall Short

Most conventional strategies for improving attention operate from the top down. That means they target behavior and cognition directly. Examples include:

  • Behavior charts
  • Positive reinforcement or token systems
  • Verbal reminders
  • Attention apps or brain games
  • Tutoring or accommodations at school

While these may provide short-term improvement, they often don’t stick—because they are trying to engage a brain that is not yet developmentally ready to self-regulate or sustain focus.

When a child’s nervous system is constantly shifting between fight, flight, freeze, or fawn states, attention isn’t neurologically available. When their sensory systems are disorganized, they can’t filter out irrelevant input. When primitive reflexes are active, their body is reacting to unconscious survival patterns that block regulation.

To truly improve attention, we have to shift from top-down strategies to a bottom-up approach, which starts with the systems that create attention in the first place.

Attention Isn’t a Single Skill—It’s a Whole-Brain Process

What we often refer to as “paying attention” is actually a complex neurological function that involves the integration of multiple brain systems working together. Attention is not a single skill or action, but rather a coordinated effort from several brain regions and systems that must be synchronized to allow for focus, self-regulation, and goal-directed behavior. Each part of the brain contributes to attention in different ways, and when one or more of these systems is immature or underdeveloped, attention becomes fragmented or inconsistent.

Here’s a closer look at the brain systems that play a vital role in attention:

The Prefrontal Cortex: Inhibition, Focus, and Decision-Making

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is often considered the brain’s “executive center” because it is responsible for managing higher-order functions such as inhibition, focus, decision-making, and problem-solving. It helps us filter out distractions, stay on task, and control impulsive behaviors. The PFC enables us to plan for the future, organize information, and make decisions based on long-term goals.

However, the PFC doesn’t work in isolation. It needs input from other brain regions to function optimally. When the PFC is underdeveloped or dysregulated, children often struggle with self-control, focus, and impulse regulation. A child may seem unfocused or forgetful, not because they lack interest, but because their brain is struggling to coordinate all of the necessary functions for sustained attention.

The Brainstem and Reticular Activating System: Alertness and Arousal

The brainstem and reticular activating system (RAS) are responsible for regulating alertness and arousal. The RAS acts as a gatekeeper to the brain, determining what information is worthy of attention and what can be ignored. It is involved in controlling the wakefulness and level of alertness necessary for focus.

When a child’s RAS is dysregulated, they may become either overstimulated (hyperaroused) or understimulated (hypoaroused). Hyperarousal leads to difficulty focusing because the child’s brain is in a constant state of alertness, constantly scanning for threats or distractions. On the other hand, hypoarousal can cause a child to feel “shut down,” disengaged, or unable to initiate tasks. Without proper regulation of the RAS, a child’s attention is constantly hijacked by the brain’s need to either calm down or heighten alertness.

The Cerebellum: Timing, Rhythm, and Motor Planning

The cerebellum is most commonly associated with motor control and coordination, but it also plays a crucial role in timing, rhythm, and cognitive processing. It helps us anticipate and synchronize actions—whether it’s a motor movement or a thought process. This is why the cerebellum is sometimes called the “brain’s conductor,” as it ensures that everything from speech to hand-eye coordination runs smoothly.

A well-functioning cerebellum ensures that we can process sensory input at the right time and execute movements in a coordinated manner. This coordination is vital for mental focus and working memory, as timing and rhythm are essential to keeping attention on track. For example, if a child’s cerebellum is underdeveloped, they may struggle with visual tracking or sequencing tasks, which impacts their ability to focus on both physical and cognitive tasks. A disrupted cerebellum makes attention feel disjointed and fragmented, as the brain cannot process information or plan effectively.

The Vestibular System: Balance and Spatial Orientation

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is responsible for regulating balance and spatial orientation. It helps us understand where we are in space and how we move within it. The vestibular system plays an important role in maintaining physical stability, which directly impacts our ability to focus and engage with the world around us.

For children, a dysregulated vestibular system can cause issues with balance, coordination, and physical orientation. These children might appear fidgety, restless, or unable to sit still, because their brains are not receiving the proper information about where their bodies are in space. Without a stable vestibular system, children can struggle to regulate their attention, as their brains are too preoccupied with trying to maintain balance or process sensory input related to body position. This can result in distraction and difficulty maintaining focus.

The Autonomic Nervous System: Emotional Regulation and Readiness to Engage

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a central role in regulating emotional states and preparing the body for action. It controls fight/flight/freeze responses during stressful situations and helps manage the balance between calm alertness and overstimulation. A well-regulated ANS allows a child to be alert enough to focus but not overwhelmed by stress or anxiety.

When the ANS is dysregulated, a child may experience heightened states of anxiety, hyperactivity, or disorganization. They may be unable to sit still, concentrate on tasks, or regulate emotional responses—leading to impulsivity, irritability, or frustration. These emotional and physical dysregulations can directly impair the ability to focus on academic work or social interactions. The ANS acts as the body’s internal thermostat, and if it’s not functioning optimally, attention is compromised because the brain is constantly trying to maintain balance in the nervous system.

Integration, Not Willpower

As Dr. Carla Hannaford explains in Smart Moves, attention is the result of integration, not willpower. A child cannot simply “force” themselves to pay attention if their brain systems are not organized and functioning properly. The brain is like an orchestra, where each system must be synchronized to create a coherent, focused state. If any of these systems are immature, disorganized, or not fully developed, attention becomes a struggle.

Movement-based input is essential for organizing these systems. Through rhythmic and cross-lateral movements, we can help integrate the various brain systems that support focus and attention. When the brain’s foundational systems—like the vestibular system, proprioception, and primitive reflexes—are properly engaged and integrated, the prefrontal cortex can perform its job more effectively, resulting in sustained attention, focus, and self-regulation.

When the brain-body systems are properly integrated, attention becomes effortless. It’s not about “forcing” a child to focus; it’s about creating the conditions for focus to emerge naturally.

How Primitive Reflexes Disrupt Focus

Primitive reflexes are automatic movements present at birth. They serve important survival functions in infancy, but should be integrated within the first year of life. When they remain active, they interfere with the child’s ability to sit still, make eye contact, control impulses, and sustain attention.

Common retained reflexes affecting attention include:

  • Moro Reflex: Causes hyper-reactivity and poor sensory filtering
  • ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex): Makes it hard to write, read, or follow instructions across midline
  • STNR and TLR: Affect posture, head control, and seated attention

Sally Goddard Blythe, a pioneer in neurodevelopmental education, has shown that these reflexes are often found in children with ADHD symptoms and learning difficulties. Until they are fully integrated, they keep the child in a state of underlying neurological stress, blocking access to sustained attention.

Sensory Disorganization and the Attention System

Children who can’t sit still or keep focus are often not in control of their sensory world. They may:

  • Be distracted by background noises others can ignore
  • Seek excessive movement or touch
  • Get overwhelmed by visual or auditory input
  • Have poor body awareness and fidget constantly

When the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and visual systems are not working in sync, the brain can’t properly filter, sort, and prioritize input. The result is a child who is constantly either over-stimulated or under-stimulated—and in both cases, attention becomes fragmented.

At In the Cortex, we address this by systematically regulating and integrating the sensory systems through purposeful, brain-organizing movement.

Nervous System Regulation: The Missing Ingredient in Focus

According to Polyvagal Theory (Dr. Stephen Porges), attention is only possible when the nervous system is in a calm, regulated state. Children in hyperarousal (fight/flight) may be agitated, defiant, or overly alert. Children in hypoarousal (freeze/shutdown) may seem “checked out,” bored, or sluggish.

In both states, the brain is not wired for learning or sustained engagement—it is prioritizing survival. This is especially true for kids with trauma history, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, or high stress loads.

At In the Cortex, we begin every session by grounding the nervous system through rhythm, bilateral movement, and deep pressure. This helps shift children into the optimal window of regulation—where attention becomes possible.

Why In the Cortex Works: A Bottom-Up Approach to Focus

In the Cortex is not a behavior program or academic intervention. It is a neurodevelopmental movement system that targets the root of attention challenges: the disorganized nervous system.

Using a daily sequence of movement-based, rhythm-driven exercises, In the Cortex supports:

  • Reflex integration
  • Vestibular and proprioceptive activation
  • Sensory regulation and body mapping
  • Cross-lateral movement for hemispheric integration
  • Core strength, postural control, and midline coordination

By addressing the systems that underlie focus and self-control, In the Cortex helps the brain do what it was always meant to do: pay attention, stay calm, and process information with ease.

What Research Says About Movement and Attention

Studies consistently show that movement-based interventions improve focus, working memory, and executive function. For example:

These findings support the model that lasting focus emerges from the body up, not the mind down.

Signs Your Child May Need Brain Reorganization

  • Constantly distracted or needing reminders
  • Fidgets, slouches, or gets up frequently
  • Struggles with reading, writing, or visual tracking
  • Can’t filter noise/gets overwhelmed in loud spaces
  • Hard time staying in their seat
  • Daydreams or zones out during lessons
  • Becomes emotionally overwhelmed when asked to focus
  • Rushes through tasks with frequent mistakes
  • Avoids anything mentally demanding

If these signs are familiar, the solution may not be more practice—it may be a neurological reset.

Final Thoughts: Attention Is Built, Not Forced

Difficulty paying attention is not a moral failing. It’s not about effort, motivation, or discipline. It’s about brain readiness—and that starts in the body.

At In the Cortex, we help children build the neurological architecture they need to stay present, process clearly, and regulate consistently. Not through willpower, but through movement. Not through pressure, but through integration.

When the brain is organized, attention emerges naturally. And that’s not just a quick fix—it’s a transformation that lasts.