Performance Minds · all areas Vision · Sensory · Motor · Focus / Executive
Focused Minds Learning

Performance Minds Learning

Focused Minds

Starting, sustaining, and finishing work — separated from what only looks like inattention.

Focused Minds looks at attention and executive function as they show up in schoolwork: getting started, staying with a task, shifting, and finishing. Many students who look inattentive are actually working around a vision, sensory, or motor demand, so Focused Minds rules those out first. It never diagnoses ADHD; it describes performance and supports the team's referral decisions.

Open Full FPA™ Free Classroom Screen Free resources

Initiation

Getting started on work without repeated prompts.

Sustained attention

Staying with a task for an age-appropriate stretch.

Shifting & working memory

Holding directions in mind and moving between tasks.

Organization & completion

Materials, time, multistep plans, and turning work in.

Two tiers

Screen first. Assess when it matters.

FREE · ABOUT 5 MINUTES

Focus Classroom Screen

Vision-first checks, 15 classroom observations, and green/yellow/red next steps for the team.

Run the free screen

FULL ASSESSMENT · ABOUT 30 MINUTES

FPA™ Focused Performance Assessment

Print-first materials, timed observations, 0–3 scoring, domain summary, support plan and a printable record.

$9 per student · $20 all three · $199 Caseload Pass (12 months)

Field-test version · not normed or diagnostic · clinical review pending

Open Full FPA™

Free resources

Browse all focus resources

Teachers & parents

First–Then card

  1. Draw two boxes: 'First' and 'Then'
  2. First = one short task; Then = a preferred activity
  3. Cross off First when done

Teachers

Chunk the page

  1. Fold or cover the worksheet so only one section shows
  2. Check in after each section
  3. Use a visible timer for each chunk

Teachers

Three-step directions

  1. Give no more than three steps at a time
  2. Write them on a sticky note on the desk
  3. Ask the student to say step one back

Parents

Launch pad at home

  1. One basket by the door for backpack and shoes
  2. Picture checklist on the door
  3. Check the folder together each night

Teachers

Movement before focus

  1. Stand-up stretch before independent work
  2. Offer a standing spot at the back
  3. Pair with sensory or motor supports if indicated

Optional premier PDFs & kits

Available now

Learning Lab kit

$7 for one child, or $29 for a 12-month Caseload Pass. Covers all four areas.

Open the Lab

Printable · $5

Executive Function Starter Kit

Visual schedule, chunking strips, First–Then board, and a self-monitoring chart.

Get it for $5

Printable · $3

Tonight at Home: Focus

Homework, morning, and bedtime routines for families.

Get it for $3

Printable · $15

Focus Staff In-Service Kit

45-minute presenter script on attention versus vision, sensory, and motor look-alikes.

Get it for $15

Printable · $5

Executive Function Routines Pack

Task-start scripts, routine cards, self-monitoring forms, and progress data.

Get it for $5

FPA™ Focused Performance Assessment

Field-test version available · for licensed OTs

Open the FPA™

About 30 minutes, print-first. Observes initiation, sustained attention, shifting, and organization during reading, writing, and listening tasks — comparing listening with visual tasks to separate attention from visual load.

  1. 1. Materials checklist and vision access check
  2. 2. Listening-only task vs. matched visual task
  3. 3. Multistep direction-following task
  4. 4. Timed independent work sample with on-task sampling
  5. 5. Materials and organization check; teacher interview
  6. 6. 0–3 rubric by domain → support plan

Courses

Course designs are ready to submit for AOTA approval. Contact hours and CEUs will be listed only after approval.

Course 0 · Introductory · 1 hr · $49

Focused Minds Foundations: Attention as Occupational Performance

You will be able to

  • Describe four attention and executive performance domains in school tasks
  • Distinguish attention-driven behaviors from vision, sensory, and motor demands that mimic inattention
  • Identify two same-day classroom supports for initiation and completion

Modules

  1. What OT adds to attention
  2. Four domains with classroom examples
  3. Look-alikes: vision, sensory, motor
  4. Same-day supports and when to screen

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending

Course 1 · Intermediate · 3 hr · $79

Focused Minds in the School: Screening, Reasoning, and Planning

You will be able to

  • Administer and score the 5-minute Focus Classroom Screen
  • Use results and red-flag triggers to choose next steps without implying diagnosis
  • Write executive-function accommodations and goals
  • Collaborate with psychology and medicine on referral

Modules

  1. OT scope in attention and EF
  2. The Classroom Screen: items and scoring
  3. Reasoning: attention vs. look-alikes
  4. Accommodations and goals
  5. Evidence base
  6. Case walkthroughs
  7. Competency check

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending

Course 2 · Advanced · 4 hr · $99

Administering the FPA™: Focused Performance Assessment

You will be able to

  • Administer the FPA™ with fidelity in about 30 minutes
  • Score the four domains with the 0–3 rubric
  • Compare listening and visual task performance to interpret visual load
  • Document results and referral decisions

Modules

  1. Why performance-based attention assessment
  2. FPA™ architecture and materials
  3. Administration walkthrough
  4. Scoring and interpretation
  5. Clinical reasoning cases
  6. Documentation and referral

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending