Increasing concentration
My son received some sessions of occupational therapy and for his short attention span the occupational therapist recommended he do physical exercise before a mental exercise. For example - 10 star jumps or hopping on one leg - before settling down to do a jigsaw, writing practice or drawing. Alternatively, she recommended some ‘jobs’ when the beginnings of distraction were starting, such as folding tea-towels, sorting socks or helping set the table. It works too for longer cartoons or DVDs, we force regular breaks (drink of milk, trip to the toilet) and this has replaced the dreaded "I'm bored" after 10 minutes of a programme. Now he can re-tell some of the story instead of the default "I don't know" when we ask him what happened - the breaks are getting further apart too, which is a relief. He can do a 50-piece jigsaw without giving up - it's hilarious to watch the tongue clenched between the teeth in concentration!