Sitting, waiting and listening
School uses sitting, waiting and following an instruction from day one. We practise those in seconds, then minutes — not a lecture about being good.
Written by the Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center therapy team · medically reviewed by Dr Muhammad Suffyan, MB BS (GMC 8023727) · Last reviewed September 2026
What gets practised
A short sit. One instruction, then two. Waiting a turn. Asking for help. Classroom skills with Akasha: classroom skills. ADHD: ADHD and classroom load.
Three-year-olds
A three-year-old who cannot sit is usually three. We still help with one-step instructions. See ADHD or ordinary energy.
Seconds, then minutes
A sit that is earned, not demanded. ADHD can look like none of this is possible. It is often load, sleep, or an instruction that was too long. Akasha on ADHD. ADHD or ordinary energy if they are three.
Classroom skills: Akasha. Support once school has started: classroom support.
Waiting a turn without grabbing
That is social skills sitting on top of sitting. See social skills. We still practise the wait here, with a visible job (holding the timer).
The group sit is later
One adult first. Then a short group. A noisy class as step one is often unkind. Related: Akasha on classroom skills.
Minutes, then a visible job
Holding a timer is a job. Waiting with nothing to do is a test. We teach sitting in minutes, then fade. A child who sits because they are scared is not ready. ADHD sitting is often this page plus ABA and Akasha on ADHD.
The group sit is later than the one-adult sit. A noisy class as step one is often unkind. Classroom skills: Akasha. Sensory load in the group: sensory and school.
The idea behind the work (in the books)
Sitting is executive function, not obedience. A child who sits because they are scared is not ready.
Blair and Raver — inhibitory control
Waiting is a skill. We teach it in minutes, with a visible job (holding the timer), then fade.
HighScope — plan, do, review
Choose a short job, do it, stop. We borrow the shape. We are not a HighScope setting.
What the research tells us
This isn’t just our opinion — it’s grounded in published research. Here are a few findings from trusted, independent sources:
Blair and Raver (Annual Review of Psychology, 2015) treat school readiness as self-regulation — holding a rule, waiting, switching — which sets the stage for letters and numbers rather than replacing them.
— Blair and Raver, School readiness and self-regulation, Annual Review of Psychology (2015), PMID 25148852. View source
Take a worksheet home
Print one sheet. Fill it in this week. Bring it to the consultation — a consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.
School-readiness checklist
Sitting, waiting, a two-step instruction — tick ordinary days, not the best afternoon.
First–then board
The hard moment, then the promised good thing — set out before the fight starts.
Book a consultation
Contact owner Muhammad Salman Afzal first. No referral needed. A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.
Sitting & waiting — questions parents ask
My child is three and cannot sit. Is that ADHD?
Usually it is being three. Support can still start.
Will you put them in a large class to practise?
Not first. One adult, then one peer, then a group.
Will you put them in a large class to practise sitting?
Not first. One adult, then one peer, then a group. A noisy class as step one is often unkind.
They know ABC but cannot last circle time.
Then letters are not the gap. Sitting is. Tick the checklist over ordinary days.
Ask about sitting & waiting
A short, friendly conversation is the best first step. Call, text or WhatsApp us — we’ll listen and guide you, with no pressure.
MPS Road, Block A Model Town, Multan (near Bloomfield Hall School, Street No. 2) · Mon–Fri, 2 PM – 6 PM