Now that school is back in session, it may be time to think about your child’s attention span.  Is your child able to focus on his schoolwork, listen to the teacher when in class and remember where he puts his homework, and even what homework is due?

If your child struggles with memory or attention span, it may be caused by an overly stimulated nervous system.  When the nervous system has too much stimulation, it’s difficult to process and store the information properly.  Your child may be extremely bright and notice everything, but not be able to zero in on any one thing for very long.

Solving this attention span issue may require a few things:

  • Limit sugar and caffeine, including cereals, chocolate, soda and even juice or fruit as well as white breads.  These all break down quickly in our bodies and can overload us on simple sugars.
  • Check your child’s diet for other stimulants, such as MSG, which is an excitotoxin.  Excitotoxins will stimulate the nerves and then overload and destroy them.
  • Check your child’s diet for food sensitivities, such as food coloring, gluten and caseine, possibly doing an elimination diet to determine if he or she is sensitive to these things.
  • Check your child’s hearing.  Perhaps the child hears better out of one ear.  Make sure the good ear is closest to the teacher.  If vestibular (ear) pathways aren’t functioning properly, it can cause a reduced attention span.  (NUCCA helps with these vestibular pathways.)
  • Check spinal alignment, because this controls nerve function.  NUCCA works very well on children and they hold their alignment very well.
  • NUCCA stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which aids in slowing down the hyper-functioning sensory system and enables people to focus better.
  • In some cases, drugs are necessary, but many children will notice profound changes in focus with the above suggestions.

The best results are achieved when parents are willing and able to be an integral part of their children’s lives and pay attention to their needs, activities and what they ingest, even if it’s more work than simply giving the child medication.