Shine Avi series on issues related to attention

When we pay attention, we focus on one thing and put other things out of our minds. For example, we listen to what someone is saying while ignoring other conversations and background noise in the room.Paying attention uses particular networks in the brain. It’s a skill that develops over time. To pay attention well, we need to be alert. This allows us to sort out the right information from our surroundings and put this information together.Paying attention is a key skill for learning. For example, children need to pay attention to a teacher’s instructions to be sure they’re doing things the right way. Children also need to be able to keep their attention on tasks to be able to learn.Attention difficulties and autism spectrum disorderAll children can find it hard to filter out distractions sometimes, which makes it hard for them to pay attention. They can easily get distracted by background noise, bright lights, hunger – or the very interesting ideas buzzing around in their heads! It’s also easy for children to get bored or lose interest.Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can find it really hard to focus on things that don’t interest them – for example, activities that involve shared attention, like reading a book ,doing a puzzle, or even walking safely across the road. But they can keep their attention on things they like. For example, a child who’s keen on trains might be able to focus for a long time while he’s setting up his train tracks.Also, it can sometimes be hard to attract the attention of children with autism,especially if they have trouble making eye contact.When children have trouble paying attention, it can lead to problem behaviour. A child who isn’t doing what she’s told might look like she’s deliberately behaving badly. For example, if a child rarely follows instructions, her parents could get frustrated and angry because it seems like she never listens. This could upset the child and lead to difficult behaviour like tantrums.In our next topic you will read about how to work on eye contact Thank you for readingLikeCommentShare