Attention Autism

We have used a strategy called Attention Autism to help children who have ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) to learn to sit and listen for a short time.  Attention Autism was a strategy devised by Gina Davies and we now use a similar approach for all children at circle time before lunch.

One member of staff has a box containing various items which are hidden until revealed one by one to the children sitting on the carpet.  The staff member creates awe, wonder and surprise when revealing each item (usually three in total).  The children should sit quietly and watch whilst the staff member uses exaggerated facial expressions with limited  speech to demonstrate each object.  The objects usually make a sound, light up or do something which makes them interesting.  This is called stage 1.  Subsequent stages up to 4 can be added as children’s listening and attention skills develop.

More pictures of what we call “The Box” can be found in the photo gallery.