What Does an Attention Deficit Really Mean? |
Understanding Attention
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"Attention" describes several abilities, from selecting information to sustaining focus.
Different forms of attention may rely on different mechanisms while sharing some processes.
Motivation, boredom, fatigue and context can shape how easily we stay with a task.
An ADHD diagnosis can identify a pattern without explaining what drives it for each person.
Most of us have experienced what it’s like to struggle to pay attention to something. I’ll offer a recent example of my own.
My mind wandered further and further from the focus of the long academic meeting I was attending. I looked around at the others in the room. They seemed to be listening—or at least staring at the screen.
We were in a plush venue just off campus, the sort we often hire for these long meetings. Rain pounded on the glass roof. Beyond it, the grounds were lush and green.
A young waiter, about the same age as my son, clinked some glasses, replenished the water, juice and coffee, and left a tray of small chocolate brownies and fresh fruit at the back of the room.
I remember how I wanted one of the brownies and some plump green grapes, still shining with moisture. But walking to the back and helping myself felt rude. Everyone else seemed to be managing to pay attention. Weren’t they?
It felt as though I had lost all ability to focus.
But my attention hadn’t disappeared. I could focus on the rain, the trees, the grapes and the brownies. I could attend to them effortlessly. But I couldn’t keep my mind on the sixth presentation of the day.
I tried to care about what was being said. I really........