What Does “Difficulty Paying Attention” Really Mean?
Difficulty paying attention is one of the most common concerns among parents and educators today. It shows up in various ways:
- A child who starts tasks but never finishes them
- Constant daydreaming or appearing “checked out”
- Easily distracted by noises, movement, or internal thoughts
- Inability to sit still or stay focused on conversations
- Avoidance of mentally demanding activities
- Rushing through tasks with frequent errors
This often leads to labels like “inattentive”, “unmotivated”, “lazy”, or even “oppositional”. But these behaviors are not a sign of disobedience or lack of ability—they are signs that the brain is struggling to stay regulated and engaged.
At In the Cortex, we understand that attention isn’t just about willpower or personality. It’s about neural readiness. The ability to focus comes from a well-organized brain and nervous system. When children have difficulty paying attention, it often reflects immaturity or disorganization in the foundational systems of the brain—not a lack of desire or effort.
Why Typical Attention Strategies Often Fail
When a child struggles with attention, many well-meaning interventions aim to improve behavior by reinforcing desired outcomes or increasing external control. These top-down strategies include:
- Behavior charts that reward focus or penalize distraction
- Increased structure in the classroom or at home to minimize choices and distractions
- Rewards and consequences tied to attention-related tasks
- Attention training apps or games designed to strengthen focus through repetition
- Academic accommodations, such as extra time, reduced assignments, or preferential seating
While these tools can provide short-term scaffolding, they function at the level of external management. They attempt to shape behavior by modifying the child’s environment or creating incentives—but they do not resolve why the child is struggling to focus in the first place.
These are top-down strategies: they assume that the child’s higher-level thinking and decision-making systems are accessible and under voluntary control. But for many children with attention difficulties, the problem lies below the level of conscious control—in the brainstem, the sensory systems, and the autonomic nervous system.
A child with a dysregulated nervous system is not in a state of readiness for executive function. They may be in fight, flight, or freeze mode, where the brain prioritizes survival over concentration. Their sensory systems may be disorganized, making it difficult to filter out background noise, ignore irrelevant stimuli, or maintain a stable posture. Retained primitive reflexes may be keeping the body in a state of hyper-reactivity, hijacking the child’s ability to sit still, control impulses, or sustain focus.
No behavior chart can integrate a retained Moro reflex.
No reward can inhibit an active ATNR.
No app can calm a child whose vestibular system is underdeveloped and whose body feels unsafe in stillness.
To create lasting, authentic change, we must shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up one. That means we begin not with cognition, compliance, or strategies, but with the systems that make attention possible in the first place.
We start with the brainstem, where arousal and alertness are regulated.
We support the vestibular and proprioceptive systems, which give the brain a clear sense of where the body is in space.
We integrate primitive reflexes that are blocking fluid, regulated movement.
We calm the autonomic nervous system, helping the child feel safe enough to engage.
This is the philosophy behind In the Cortex. Our program doesn’t rely on willpower, behavior management, or tricks to “train” the brain. Instead, it delivers specific, intentional movement sequences that rebuild the sensory-motor foundation, allowing the child’s capacity for attention to emerge naturally and sustainably.
Attention is not a skill that can be layered on top of a disorganized system.
It is the result of an integrated system.
When we go bottom-up, we’re not just managing attention—we’re building it from the ground up.
The Neurological Roots of Attention
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Attention Relies on Multiple Brain Systems Working Together
Paying attention is not a single skill. It’s a complex, integrated process that relies on the coordination of multiple brain systems. At the forefront is the prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions like decision-making, working memory, and inhibition. But the prefrontal cortex does not operate in isolation. Its effectiveness depends on the stability and input of more primitive systems deeper in the brain.
- The brainstem, especially the reticular activating system (RAS), manages basic alertness and arousal. If the RAS is underactive, the child may seem dreamy, unfocused, or unmotivated. If it’s overactive, they might be jumpy, distracted, or constantly scanning the environment. Either pattern creates an unstable platform for sustained attention.
- The cerebellum, long known for coordinating movement, also supports mental timing, sequencing, and the smooth automation of thoughts and actions. Children with cerebellar inefficiencies may struggle with pacing, task initiation, or appear mentally scattered—not because they lack intelligence, but because their cognitive systems are overloaded.
- The vestibular system—which provides the brain with information about motion, balance, and spatial orientation—is another major player. When this system is immature or disorganized, a child’s body and mind may feel ungrounded. This affects not only physical coordination but also the ability to stay present and regulated.
- Finally, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) determines whether a child is in a calm, alert state or stuck in stress responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Children in hyperarousal may seem hyperactive, oppositional, or anxious. Those in hypoarousal may shut down, disengage, or appear lazy. But neither state allows for optimal attention, because their resources are being redirected toward managing internal survival responses rather than external focus.
When any one of these systems is immature or under-connected, attention becomes fragile. And when several systems are disorganized at once, sustained focus can feel almost impossible—no matter how much effort the child applies. As Carla Hannaford has shown in her work on movement and learning, attention doesn’t start in the frontal lobe—it starts with rhythm, cross-lateral integration, and sensory regulation. Her approach underscores a core belief at In the Cortex: to change attention, we must first change the state of the body and brain.
How Primitive Reflexes Block Focus
Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that develop in utero and during infancy. They are essential for survival in early life, but should be integrated and replaced by more sophisticated movement patterns as the child’s nervous system develops.
When reflexes remain active, they interfere with posture, sensory processing, emotional regulation, and attention.
Research by Sally Goddard Blythe shows that retained reflexes are often found in children with ADHD, learning difficulties, and behavioral challenges. Common reflexes that affect attention include:
- Moro Reflex – causes hypersensitivity, distractibility, and overreaction to stimuli
- ATNR – disrupts writing, tracking, and left-right coordination, making it hard to stay engaged visually
- TLR and STNR – impact posture, head control, and muscle tone, which affect classroom attention and stamina
These reflexes keep the child’s body in a state of neurological noise. Rather than being still and calm, they are subconsciously reacting to the environment—leaving little bandwidth for focused attention.
Sensory Disorganization and Attention
Attention is regulated through clear sensory input. The brain uses information from the body to determine what’s relevant and what should be filtered out. But when sensory systems are disorganized, the brain can’t make that distinction.
A child with sensory processing issues may:
- Be overwhelmed by background noises
- Constantly seek movement or touch
- Appear zoned out or disconnected
- Be distracted by internal discomfort or disorientation
- React impulsively to minor stimuli
Carla Hannaford, PhD, emphasizes that movement and sensory integration are central to attention and learning. Her research demonstrates how cross-lateral and rhythmic movement improves communication between brain hemispheres and enhances the brain’s ability to regulate focus.
At In the Cortex, we target the sensory systems directly, using movement to organize sensory input, calm the nervous system, and improve the brain’s capacity to attend.
Missed Developmental Stages and Focus
According to Glenn Doman, founder of The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, the brain develops through a series of motor milestones—rolling, crawling, creeping, standing, and walking—that lay the foundation for higher-level functions like attention, language, and learning.
Children who skipped crawling, walked too early, or moved through milestones unevenly may have missed key stages of neurological development. Their brains may not have had the sensory and motor input required to build the strong, efficient pathways that support attention.
These children often struggle to sit still, follow multi-step instructions, or engage with mental tasks for extended periods. Not because they lack discipline, but because their brains never finished building the infrastructure needed to sustain attention.
At In the Cortex, we reintroduce these early movements in a purposeful way, allowing the brain to complete the sequence it missed—and unlocking the attention capacity that was always there, waiting to develop.
Autonomic Nervous System and Regulation
Focus is only possible when the nervous system is regulated. Children who are anxious, overstimulated, or stuck in survival mode may appear fidgety, zoned out, or emotionally reactive—not because they don’t want to pay attention, but because they can’t.
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, explains how the state of the autonomic nervous system influences everything from engagement to learning. If a child’s system is in constant fight-or-flight, their body is prioritizing safety and defense over attention and connection.
Dr. Robert Melillo has also found that many children with attention disorders have hemispheric imbalances, where one side of the brain develops more quickly than the other. This creates gaps in timing, coordination, and communication—further interfering with sustained attention.
In the Cortex helps children return to a state of regulation and balance, so they can access the parts of the brain responsible for attention, planning, and self-monitoring.
Signs That Difficulty Paying Attention Is Brain-Based
- Needs constant redirection or reminders
- Struggles to start or complete tasks
- Can’t filter out background noise
- Easily frustrated or emotionally reactive
- Daydreams or “checks out” during lessons or conversations
- Has trouble with eye contact, tracking, or visual attention
- Avoids seated work, reading, or writing
- Hyperfocuses on screens but struggles elsewhere
- Appears spacey, anxious, or emotionally “offline”
These signs point to a deeper issue than motivation or willpower. They suggest that the brain is still in the process of organizing itself, and attention is one of the final outcomes of that process, not the starting point.
What We Do at In the Cortex
At In the Cortex, we approach attention not as a skill to be trained, but as a natural outcome of a well-regulated, well-integrated brain. Our program uses a bottom-up approach to rebuild the brain systems that make attention possible.
We do this through:
- Developmental movement sequences that rewire motor and sensory pathways
- Reflex integration to remove automatic responses that block focus
- Vestibular and proprioceptive input to ground the child in space and time
- Cross-lateral and rhythmic movement to strengthen interhemispheric communication
- Reconnects, our powerful method of reprogramming limiting subconscious beliefs that might be adding to a child’s stress and difficulties in the classroom
We don’t rely on lectures, rewards, or reminders. We use movement, rhythm, and repetition to help the brain do what it was always meant to do: focus, engage, and regulate
Final Thoughts: Focus Is the Result, Not the Starting Point
Attention doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from a brain that is calm, connected, and fully developed.
Children who struggle to focus aren’t failing. They are signaling that their systems are still under construction. By shifting the lens from behavior to brain organization, we stop fighting symptoms and start supporting the deep neurological growth that leads to real, lasting focus.
At In the Cortex, we help children build the foundation they need to focus with ease, listen with clarity, and learn with joy—because a well-regulated brain doesn’t have to be told to pay attention.
It already is.
