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Interviewers' notes about section J: Attention and activityThe trickiest thing in the section on attention and activity is to make sure that parents remember that you are asking about their child compared with other children of the same age. For example, the first detailed question asks whether the child often fidgets. If the mother of a five-year-old replies that her son definitely fidgets, we need to be sure this is by comparison with other five-year-olds. Most young children fidget. That's not what we want to know. We are interested in whether this particular child fidgets a lot more than other five-year-olds. Each time a parent responds "definitely" to one of the symptoms of inattention or overactivity, it is worth checking the response until you are sure that they are comparing their child with other children of the same age. Obviously enough, once you are sure they have grasped this point, don't drive them (and yourself) mad by repeating the checks unnecessarily. As with other sections, please emphasise that we are interested in how the child is usually - any child is allowed the occasional 'off day'.Last modified : 05/09/09 | ||