What to Do if Your Child Is Time Blind
Do you often see your kid scrambling to get ready for school? Do they underestimate the amount of work required to complete a project and then struggle to finish on time? If you can relate to these, your child may be experiencing time blindness.
What is time blindness?
Time blindness is a symptom of executive dysfunction and is also a common experience among individuals with autism and ADHD. While the exact mechanisms are complex and not fully understood, time blindness has been associated with limitations in working memory.
Time blindness can also be a natural result of hyperfocus. Some children lose track of time when deeply immersed in an activity. While this state represents peak productivity, it can also lead to a reduced awareness of external cues, resulting in a disruption of time perception.
What are some symptoms of time blindness?
Your child is constantly late for school and other important appointments.
They frequently forget or miss deadlines.
They struggle to finish their exams on time.
They have difficulty judging how long a certain task will take.
They become completely absorbed in specific tasks, often unaware of the passage of time.
Your child has a strong tendency to procrastinate.
How can you help your child manage time blindness?
Put up clocks all over the house.
If we can’t rely on our internal clock, there is no shame in getting one (or three) that works. Clocks serve as visual reminders of the passage of time, helping individuals stay aware of how much time has elapsed and how much time remains for activities. Get them a wristwatch too if you can. Make time accessible to them.
Set alarms and reminders.
Because children with executive dysfunction may hyperfocus on certain activities they enjoy, alarms can help remind them of the time elapsed and serve as a cue to transition into the next tasks. You can encourage them to set one alarm to remind them to start winding down from their activity, then a final alarm to let them know it’s time to stop and move on.
Set time chunks.
The Pomodoro Method is a popular time-blocking strategy. However, children who struggle with time blindness will often find this too rigid. A potential alternative to the Pomodoro method could be the "Time Chunking" technique. In Time Chunking, instead of strictly adhering to set intervals, one can break their tasks into larger, more flexible time blocks. These blocks can vary in length based on personal preferences and the nature of the task assigned to the block. The key is to allow for longer periods of focused work while still incorporating scheduled breaks. For example, someone might designate a three-hour chunk for focused work, followed by a 20 to 30-minute break. These breaks serve as opportunities to reset and reflect on time.
Minimize distractions.
Distractions result in a distortion of temporal awareness. This concept is exemplified in the design of casinos, where visual and auditory stimuli are deliberately incorporated to promote time blindness. If distractions are what prevent your child from completing tasks on time, encourage them to set aside materials that are not relevant to the task at hand. For many children, these distractions may include their cellphone, iPad, video games, and television. Engaging in passive activities such as watching videos for hours on end can further encourage time blindness.
Break down bigger tasks into smaller ones.
Children with time blindness may struggle to accurately estimate how long tasks will take to complete. By breaking tasks into smaller components, your child can better gauge the time needed for each step, leading to more realistic time management. This also creates natural breakpoints where the child can pause and check the time. They can then decide whether to continue working or transition to a new activity.
Practice time estimation.
Engage children in activities that involve measuring time. For instance, have your child time themselves while completing various tasks around the house, such as brushing their teeth, taking a shower, or following a baking recipe. Encourage them to estimate how long they think each task will take before starting the timer. This will raise awareness of any tendency to underestimate or overestimate time.
We’re hoping the tips above will help you and your child work through time blindness. If you’re looking for more strategies to address time management, Habit Coach has articles on hyperfocus, scheduling, and other relevant topics that will help your child successfully navigate school and life. Feel free to reach out for additional support!
