Washington Post: Why it’s so hard to get kids’ attention, according to science (and what to do about it)

Sharon Saline, a clinical psychologist and author of the book “What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew,” says parents should make sure they have their child’s full attention using what she calls the Rule of Three: Get close and say their name, make eye contact, preferably at their level, and then give them the message and ask them to repeat it — twice. “It may seem silly to them, but that’s okay. By repeating the directions, you know they have grasped what they need to do. Also, this technique activates several means of connecting — sight, sound, repetition — that trigger different and simultaneous neural pathways.”