Problems in this area can mean people find it hard to do two things at once - for example listen to a telephone call and note down what is being said. 

It may be difficult to focus attention in the first place, and then to hold it in order to understand what is being said or written.  This may be accompanied by a tendency to be easily distracted by noise or interruptions and it can be hard for people to filter out distractions and concentrate on one thing such as listening to one person in a noisy setting.   

It can be difficult for people to sustain an activity - so following a lecture, reading a book or article or sustaining a long conversation without losing track of what is being said may all be a struggle or even impossible.  

This can have quite serious consequences on daily life.  It is not uncommon to hear of cases where people have been cooking, the phone has rung, they go to deal with that and become diverted from what they were doing.  At best this can mean that their dinner is ruined.  At worst, it can mean a fire could start.  Outside the house being able to manage safely on the roads is often a problem.  crossing busy roads can be hard if the person is easily distracted.

Last modified – 15/11/2006