Chapter 6.1- "Oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention"
"Wait what did you say?"
"Oh I think I wasn't paying attention when you told me"
"I forgot"
among more, are a few lines I say throughout every day, multiple times.
Paying attention is a chore sometimes. Forgetting things is not just frustrating to me but also to those around me. I forget what people tell me, and I don't blame people for feeling like I am not interested in what they said. But the truth is, a big part of the reason why is my disability.
I've decided to split this chapter into 2, to avoid confusion and a possible essay. This particular post will focus on the tests I did and what specifically they test. The next one will explain the mechanisms of attention and I will try tying Dyscalculia and attention deficit together to explain how attention is affected.
Before researching my disability properly, my diagnosis report meant little to me. I saw the results for all the tests I did but I didn't have the knowledge or interest to understand what these tests were actually for, until I began exploring each independently. So, I noticed that in tests measuring simple attention or shared attention or even one for activating attention, I scored "barely average". This made sense. I began noticing how bad my attention span is. How people can be talking to me and I zone out or how I could be walking down the street and won't even recognise my friends because I am not paying attention.
Let me briefly explain some these tests and what they measure:
The Trail Marking Test measures visual attention and the switching of tasks. There are 2 parts to this test, where the recipient is asked to connect 25 consecutive targets as fast as possible. The first part involves numbers from 1-25.The second part, however, involves the alteration between letters and numbers so for example 1,A,2,B,3,C etc. When an error is made, the recipient is corrected then and there and asked to correct their mistake and then continue. The goal here is to connect these elements as fast as possible. This tests provides information about one's visual search speed, scanning,the speed of which one can process information, mental flexibility and executive functioning (which includes the working memory, flexibility and inhibitory control). I had to continue a lot of mistakes. The second one especially threw me off because I would forget where I was at. Was I at the letter H? but i just did number 15? Where was I?
Next, a computerised attention test, measured my attention. For about 10 minutes, I was sat at a computer with headphones and told to click the right mouse every time I heard a beep. Simultaneously things appeared on the screen. This was to test reaction time and continuous attention. I remember quite clearly, that this test was mentally extremely exhausting for me because I was fighting to stay focused after just a few minutes. As mentioned previously, I did not score very well on this test as my fading focus affected my reaction time.
Although relatively short, I hope this post provided some insight to the way attention is measured.
As always,
Take care of yourselves!
"Oh I think I wasn't paying attention when you told me"
"I forgot"
among more, are a few lines I say throughout every day, multiple times.
Paying attention is a chore sometimes. Forgetting things is not just frustrating to me but also to those around me. I forget what people tell me, and I don't blame people for feeling like I am not interested in what they said. But the truth is, a big part of the reason why is my disability.
I've decided to split this chapter into 2, to avoid confusion and a possible essay. This particular post will focus on the tests I did and what specifically they test. The next one will explain the mechanisms of attention and I will try tying Dyscalculia and attention deficit together to explain how attention is affected.
Before researching my disability properly, my diagnosis report meant little to me. I saw the results for all the tests I did but I didn't have the knowledge or interest to understand what these tests were actually for, until I began exploring each independently. So, I noticed that in tests measuring simple attention or shared attention or even one for activating attention, I scored "barely average". This made sense. I began noticing how bad my attention span is. How people can be talking to me and I zone out or how I could be walking down the street and won't even recognise my friends because I am not paying attention.
Let me briefly explain some these tests and what they measure:
The Trail Marking Test measures visual attention and the switching of tasks. There are 2 parts to this test, where the recipient is asked to connect 25 consecutive targets as fast as possible. The first part involves numbers from 1-25.The second part, however, involves the alteration between letters and numbers so for example 1,A,2,B,3,C etc. When an error is made, the recipient is corrected then and there and asked to correct their mistake and then continue. The goal here is to connect these elements as fast as possible. This tests provides information about one's visual search speed, scanning,the speed of which one can process information, mental flexibility and executive functioning (which includes the working memory, flexibility and inhibitory control). I had to continue a lot of mistakes. The second one especially threw me off because I would forget where I was at. Was I at the letter H? but i just did number 15? Where was I?
Next, a computerised attention test, measured my attention. For about 10 minutes, I was sat at a computer with headphones and told to click the right mouse every time I heard a beep. Simultaneously things appeared on the screen. This was to test reaction time and continuous attention. I remember quite clearly, that this test was mentally extremely exhausting for me because I was fighting to stay focused after just a few minutes. As mentioned previously, I did not score very well on this test as my fading focus affected my reaction time.
Although relatively short, I hope this post provided some insight to the way attention is measured.
As always,
Take care of yourselves!
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