Paying attention: autistic children and teenagers

Paying attention: what is it?

When we pay attention, we focus on something and ignore other things. For example, we listen to what someone is saying while ignoring other conversations and background noise.

Paying attention also involves being aware of what we need to pay attention to. This lets us sort out the right information from our surroundings and put this information together. It also involves maintaining attention and shifting attention to something else when we need to.

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 develop their ability to pay attention as they get older.

Difficulties with paying attention

Many children find it hard to pay attention sometimes, especially if they’re very young, tired, hot, unwell or not interested in the task. It can also be hard if children feel they can’t do the task, have been sitting still for too long, or are distracted by things around them.

Some autistic children and teenagers can find it difficult to pay attention to and focus on things that don’t interest them. This includes activities that involve shared attention, like reading a book with a parent or teacher, doing a puzzle, or even walking safely across the road.

But autistic children and teenagers might also be able to keep their attention on things they like for long periods of time. They can be very good at shutting out other things. For example, an autistic child who’s keen on trains might be able to focus for a long time while setting up some train tracks. But the child might also find it difficult to shift their attention to other tasks or miss cues that it’s time to pack up.

Skills and strategies to help autistic children and teenagers with paying attention

Autistic children and teenagers can learn to pay attention, and they can get better at it with practice. These ideas and strategies can help you build your autistic child’s skills for paying attention:

Choose interesting activities with clear end points.
Give effective instructions.
Encourage talk during play.
Model tasks.
Prepare your child for transitions.
Practise mindfulness.

Play is one of the best ways to help children learn and develop skills, including skills for paying attention. You can use the strategies below as part of everyday play with your child.

Choose interesting activities

You can build your autistic child’s attention by choosing activities that your child finds interesting, like Lego or trains, or that use your child’s strengths.

It’s also important to choose activities that have definite end points, clear guidelines and goals. It’s best to avoid open-ended activities, because these can make it difficult for your child to know what they need to do and when to finish.

For example, if you have a younger child, you could work on a puzzle. You could start with one that has only a few pieces. Show your child how to put the first pieces together, and then let your child add the last piece. When the task is completed, praise your child for focusing and getting the task done. You can gradually increase your child’s attention by encouraging them to do more of the puzzle themselves and then trying more complicated puzzles.

If you have an older child or a teenage child, you might bake a cake together. You could use visual supports, checklists, timetables or social stories to show the activity’s beginning and end.

Visual and other supports can also help you with breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps. A visual timer that shows how long your child has to keep focusing can be good too.

Noise, visual distractions and other people can make it difficult for your child to focus. It’s a good idea to minimise possible distractions before you start an activity. For example, turn off the radio and television.

Give effective instructions

You’ll often need to give instructions about what to do next. Here are tips for giving effective instructions:

Limit the number of words you use. For example, say, ‘Match the shapes’ instead of ‘I want you to put the shapes together so that they match’.
Repeat keywords to help your autistic child focus. For example, say, ‘Roll the ball’, ‘Catch the ball’ and ‘Kick the ball’.
Break instructions into smaller steps, and give the instructions one step at a time. Wait for your child to complete each step before moving on to the next step.

Encourage talk during play

Talking and interacting with your autistic child during play can help you get and keep your child’s attention. Try these tips:

Copy your child’s actions and behaviour. Your child might be interested and look to see whether you copy them again next time.
When your child makes a sound or says a word, respond to your child. Back-and-forth interactions can spark and keep your child’s interest.
Talk and ask questions as you and your child are playing. This can encourage your child to stay focused for longer. But if your child gets overwhelmed or confused, keep your comments brief.

Model tasks

To keep your autistic child’s attention on the task, you can use modelling to show your child what to do during the activity. For example, if you’re making a 2-bead necklace, you could start by putting a bead on the string. Then take your child’s hand and help them put on a bead. Praise your child when they finish the activity.

Prepare for transitions

Making transitions between tasks can be stressful and overwhelming for children. Working on your autistic child’s ability to pay attention might help with this. Try these tips:

Warn your child that there’s a change coming up. Children need time to shift their attention. It might help to use a picture-based timetable of activities or a timer to show when a change is coming up.
Use ‘First, then’ statements, plus clear, simple language or a visual support. For example, you could say, ‘First shapes, then bubbles’, or use a visual support with pictures of shapes and bubbles. Or for older children you could say, ‘First, finish your maths homework and then you can go on the computer’.
Start playtime with 2 favourite activities so your child doesn’t get upset and lose focus when you change activities. For example, ‘First bubbles, then trains’. It’s best if the first activity is easy to finish quickly. Once your child has completed it, give them plenty of praise. For example, ‘All finished, well done! Now trains’.

Practise mindfulness

You can build your autistic child’s attention by helping them focus on the here and now. Mindfulness activities are a great way to do this. You and your child could try focusing on sounds, sensations or breathing.

Look out for everyday moments when your child can practise attention and other skills. This is called incidental teaching.