Children with ADHD hyperfocus. What is it? Is it positive or not?

Most people with ADHD typically hyperfocus. What is hyperfocus? It is when someone focuses on something so intensely that they seemingly do not even hear another person when they speak to them. Have you witnessed your child playing a video game and zoning in on the game yet zoning out regarding what is going on around them? That is hyperfocus. Is it a positive or a negative? It depends…


In the movie with Kevin Costner, “For the Love of the Game,” there is a moment at the end of the movie where Kevin Costner is trying to concentrate and pitch to win a big baseball game. He is distracted so visualizes and says to himself “Clear the mechanism.” All of a sudden, the crowd is blurred out and all he sees is the catcher and himself. He then throws the winning pitch to strike out the batter. That is an example of a hypefocus that is productive. If you can get your child to hyperfocus on homework, that clearly would be productive. How could you do this?


Start him out with an assignment that he considers interesting and fun. After he completes it, praise him in a mild but meaningfully way, such as a pat on the back or by saying “Good job.” Then get him to do a few minutes of exercise, say on an indoor bike or using Wii Fit for just a few minutes. Give him some incentive for getting off of the Wii fit if playing it turns out to be a moment of hyperfocus!


Immediately, get him to do another assignment that is not so interesting to him and give him intermittent reinforcements, such as a snack that he likes. It is important to give him intermittent reinforcements so that he is never sure when he will receive them. If you do not want to give him a snack or if he is not hungry, you can arrange a different reinforcement adjusted to his interest. The reinforcement could be playing with Legos after he finishes the assignment.


If you notice that he is hyperfocusing, walk away and let him do his work independently. Later, you can praise for doing his work independently as well as completing it and he will feel so proud of himself. This intervention is not a guarantee of helping your child to achieve a hyperfocus in a productive way, but it is certainly worth a try.