Centre for Occupational Therapy, Marc Pfeiffenberger, Elmshorn

Attention training based on Lauth and Schlottke (group therapy)

Our attention training aims at enhancing the child's or teenager's auditive and visual attention skills as well as at enhancing their attention and impulse control. It centres on children and teenagers with difficulties in focussing their attention and remaining focussed by themselves when working on tasks over longer stretches of time. This is a common problem for patients with ADD, but also for patients with perception deficits, learning difficulties or concentration deficits.

Training is divided into two main areas: basic training and strategic training. Basic training consists of 12 training units. It aims at practising and automating basic skills, such as close inspection, close listening, enhancement of impulse control by means of reaction delay, and at enhancing attention behaviour by means of verbal self-control. In addition, there are three units that teach children how to relax by means of physical exercises and instructed meditation.

Therapeutic measures and techniques

To enhance children's attention behaviour we work with a token reinforcement system. This system involves the targeted use of tokens that are either given or taken away in accordance with their attention behaviour. In the course of this treatment, children learn to praise themselves for their positive attention behaviour. At the end of each therapy session we revise the content through play-based activities.

The basic training is designed for children between the ages of 7 and 9. Including the parents in the training schedule is of great importance. Strategic training is designed for children and adolescents and consists of 12 training units. It builds on the basic training, helps them to develop their own strategies to improve their inner control ('personal steering') and subsequently leads to improved learning abilities.

Individual programmes

If required, we tailor our programmes to the individual needs of your child. This allows us to conduct special training programmes for children and adolescents in which they learn how to structure their actions and everyday life. This form of training can also incorporate exercises from the Alert Programme, which teaches children to appraise and influence their activity levels on their own.

Relaxation exercises

Our overall approach is complemented by relaxation techniques. In line with demand, we also offer group training for

• school preparation

• psychomotor skills

• social skills training / anti- aggression training

Please note: The contractual terms agreed with the health insurance funds oblige us to carry out occupational therapy assessments and parent counselling before the start of a training group. Fulfilling this requirement usually takes between two and six individual therapy sessions.