Your Attention, Please!

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Do you ever wonder about your child’s attention? Do you often hear yourself requesting (or begging) your child to “Pay attention,” “Stop day-dreaming,” or even “Stop moving around!”? Have you ever wondered (or been told by your child’s teacher) that attention issues might be getting in the way of your child’s success in school? In this one-hour session parents will have an opportunity to examine the three major attention controls (mental energy, processing and production) and how they manifest in behaviors. With the understanding that attention is a dynamic construct with many variables, we will develop a deeper understanding of our own children’s attention profiles. We will also look at the ways strengths and weaknesses in attention can affect a child’s academic success, how to talk to our children about attention, and develop strategies that can be used at home or at school to increase success.

Kate Sussman

Kate Sussman, M.Ed, a special education consultant in New York City and the newest addition to the Hidden Sparks team, acts as an External Coach and mentor to new Internal Coaches from outside the tri-state area.  She worked for seven years with the Opportunity Charter School in Harlem.  Previously, she coordinated after school and summer programs for at risk students and worked with Manhattan public high school teachers to create inclusive classrooms. Kate has been a facilitator for Schools Attuned, is a certified trainer for the University of Kansas Strategic Instruction Model and a former adjunct instructor at Bank Street College of Education. Kate has worked with teachers from public, private, and Jewish day schools, grades K—12.