Most advice about focus sounds simple: give them breaks, reduce distractions, use a timer, etc. But for many kids with ADHD, the real struggle is not "focus" as one big thing. It is the tiny moments inside focus: starting, staying with it, transitioning, managing frustration, and not shutting down halfway through.
In this episode of The Soaring Child Podcast, Dana Kay sits down with Dr. Norrine Russell, founder of Russell Coaching for Students and creator of Connected Coaching, to talk about the practical micro-skills behind focus. Dr. Russell explains why telling a child to "just focus" often backfires, and what parents can do instead to support executive functioning in a way that actually helps.
Parents will learn how to shrink the starting point, reduce cognitive load, use presence without hovering, support emotional regulation with empathy, and create simple systems like whiteboards and second screens. This conversation is full of practical, doable strategies for helping kids move from stuck and overwhelmed to supported and capable.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
Russell Coaching: https://russellcoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellcoachingllc/
ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety, Breaking Out of the Box podcast
Asking the Right Questions Before, During, and After Your Child's ADHD Diagnosis
KEY AKEAWAYS
[00:00] Most focus advice is too general and misses the specific moments where ADHD kids get stuck.
[01:00] Focus is made up of smaller skills, and when one small skill is missing, the whole process can fall apart.
[03:07] Dr. Russell explains the executive functioning skills behind focus, including starting, transitioning, sustained attention, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
[06:14] Parents can help children begin by shrinking the starting point into one tiny, doable action.
[07:59] Support should change with age, moving from direct guidance in younger years to internalized skills in older children.
[09:30] Hovering increases stress and does not build self-regulation.
[09:59] Parents can support focus by being visible but silent, then gradually moving farther away as the child matures.
[12:59] Empathy is often the most helpful tool when a child becomes frustrated or overwhelmed.
[16:11] Asking whether a child wants to be heard or helped can prevent over-helping and build problem-solving skills.
[17:28] Reducing cognitive load is key, and a large whiteboard can help kids get thoughts, assignments, and goals out of their heads.
[20:16] A second screen can reduce working memory demands for students using a laptop.
[21:06] Sometimes the missing piece is not another strategy, but more time, support, acceptance, and brain maturation.
[23:24] Texting can be a helpful way to communicate with children and teens in a way that gives them space to process and respond.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
"Your child isn't struggling with focus sort of in general, they're struggling with very specific moments."
"Focus isn't just one skill. It's a series of really small skills stacked together."
"The least helpful thing that a parent can do is say something like, just focus, just get started."
"Attention is like a muscle."
"Shrink the starting point. Shrink the starting point."
"Hovering is not helpful. Hovering is not helpful."
"So you want to be visible, but silent."
"Our number one tool really when our kids are frustrated is empathy."
"Right, heard, helped, or hugged."
"You can't rush development. You can't rush brain maturation."
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