Attention and Listening
Difficulties with attention and listening can affect all areas of learning; if a child is not able to listen and attend, they will find it harder to process information they are given.
Parents information
"They move quickly from one activity to another."
"My child prefers short activities and finds longer ones difficult."
"Sometimes I wonder if they've heard what I've said."
"My child needs frequent prompts during everyday routines."
"My child is easily distracted by what's going on around them."
Attention and Listening skills are very important. They are the skills that are needed before a child can begin to learn language and fully interact with the world they live in.
- Attention means being able to notice things by looking at them.
- Listening means being able to hear things.
The Language Pyramid shows that children need to be able to notice and hear things in the world around them in order to learn and develop their other language and communication skills.
For example, for a child to be able to pronounce the word ‘car’ properly, the child will go through a process similar to this:
- Look at a real car on the road, notice it and hear the noise it makes
- Hear someone say ‘car’ when they are looking at the object
- See a toy car and someone showing them how to play with this, e.g. rolling the toy car and making noises such as ‘brrr, vrooom’ etc.
- Relating the information they learn through play, to the real object they see on the road
- Understand that when someone says ‘car’ it can mean either the real object, toy, or picture.
- Being able to label ‘car’ when they are shown a photo/toy/real object. At first, children may pronounce the words a little differently e.g. “tar” – this can be part of typical development
- Being able to pronounce ‘car’
In the process above, if the child has not been able to look and listen to the world around them, it doesn’t matter how many times they hear people around them saying ‘car’, they cannot map this word onto anything.
Therefore they do not learn new names for objects, they struggle to develop their play skills, and this impacts their communication and language development. Children develop their attention and listening skills over time.
Advice and strategies for developing attention and listening skills
- Gain the child’s attention - ensure you have the child’s attention BEFORE giving the instruction, e.g. say the child’s name first and wait for them to look.
- Follow the child’s lead - incorporate their interests into play.
- Imitate the child's actions and sounds - mirroring the child's movements, facial expressions, and vocalisations (refer to Intensive Interaction video).
- Get down to their level - sit at the same level as the child when giving instructions to improve eye contact and engagement.
- Offer choices - allow children to choose activities to increase their motivation and engagement.
- Use pauses and waiting - pausing allows the child time to process and respond, fostering turn-taking and anticipation.
- Reduce your language - break long instructions into short 1-2 steps.
- Be prepared to repeat or rephrase messages.
- Minimise background noise - turn off the TV and computers, and find a quiet space for focused activities.
- Reduce visual clutter - keep the environment free of unnecessary items to minimize visual distractions.
- Separate distractions - if children are easily distracted by each other, consider separating them during tasks at home.
- Model the behaviour - demonstrate the desired behaviour, such as sitting still or listening attentively.
- Check understanding - make sure spoken information has been understood.
- Allow processing time - give up to 15 seconds ‘thinking’ time before repeating.
- Repeat information - when you need to repeat information or an instruction, try to do so in the same way, at first.
- Break down information - divide long instructions into smaller, manageable steps.
- Reduce distractions - remove background noise in the environment.
- Use a timer - to visually show how long an activity will last.
- Gradually increase attention - work for short periods of time and gradually build up how long the child can attend for.
- Refocus attention - prompt the child when necessary to help the child to keep on task
- Praise good listening - give praise and reinforce appropriate listening and attention, e.g. “good listening, Jack!”
Depending on the activity or situation, children can present, as described, within the different stages of attention and listening.
Fleeting attention is easily distracted by their environment and attention flits from one thing to another.
What this could look like;
- wandering around the room, picking items up that aren’t necessarily related
- becoming distracted by noises, movement, lights, or other children
- engaging best with highly motivating, sensory, or fast-paced activities
- watching what others are doing instead of focusing on what they’re doing
- difficulty staying seated during non-motivating activities
- looking around the room when someone is talking to them
- becoming overwhelmed in noisy or visually busy environments
Rigid Attention can concentrate on a task of their own choice but finds it difficult to tolerate interruption from another person.
What this could look like;
- not turning to their name or instructions being given
- becoming deeply absorbed in a preferred activity for longer periods
- struggling with transitions between activities or routines
- resisting adult direction if it interrupts what they’re doing
- appearing unaware of what is happening around them
- reacting strongly to unexpected changes or interruptions
Single-Channelled Attention can focus on only one thing at once e.g. difficulty doing an activity and listening to an instruction.
What this could look like;
- needing to stop what they are doing to listen to instructions
- losing track of what they were doing
- pausing play when someone talks to them
- responding better to short, simple directions delivered one at a time
- needing visual or physical prompts to support understanding
- finding group discussions/activities difficult while engaged in another activity
Focused Attention can start to control their focus and shift attention between tasks, though still one at a time.
What this could look like;
- being able to pause an activity briefly to listen, then go back to it
- moving attention from one task to another when prompted
- listening and responding more consistently during group activities
- benefiting from clear routines and predictable expectations
- beginning to organise actions in order during play or learning tasks
- showing more persistence when activities become slightly challenging
Two-Channelled Attention can focus on a task while also understanding instructions or engaging in other activities.
What this could look like;
- continuing something while listening to and following verbal instructions
- moving attention flexibly between different sources of information
- managing transitions and changes in routine more smoothly
- maintaining concentration despite some environmental distractions
- returning to tasks easily after short interruptions
- demonstrating improved self-regulation and attention control
Integrated Attention can flexibly shift attention between different situations and people, with a greater capacity for sustained attention.
What this could look like;
- sustaining attention on tasks for extended periods, including less preferred activities
- moving attention smoothly between activities, people, and conversations
- adapting attention appropriately to different situations and expectations
- participating effectively in group discussions and collaborative activities
- prioritising important information within busy environments
- balancing attention between peers, adults, and activities
Practitioners information
"They often lose interest before finishing an activity."
"They can usually manage one instruction, but more than one can be difficult."
"I need to keep reminding them what they should be doing."
"They often respond well to visual reminders as well as spoken instructions."
"They struggle to stay with an activity unless an adult is helping them."
Attention and Listening skills are very important. They are the skills that are needed before a child can begin to learn language and fully interact with the world they live in.
- Attention means being able to notice things by looking at them.
- Listening means being able to hear things.
The Language Pyramid shows that children need to be able to notice and hear things in the world around them in order to learn and develop their other language and communication skills.
For example, for a child to be able to pronounce the word ‘car’ properly, the child will go through a process similar to this:
- Look at a real car on the road, notice it and hear the noise it makes
- Hear someone say ‘car’ when they are looking at the object
- See a toy car and someone showing them how to play with this, e.g. rolling the toy car and making noises such as ‘brrr, vrooom’ etc.
- Relating the information they learn through play, to the real object they see on the road
- Understand that when someone says ‘car’ it can mean either the real object, toy, or picture.
- Being able to label ‘car’ when they are shown a photo/toy/real object. At first, children may pronounce the words a little differently e.g. “tar” – this can be part of typical development
- Being able to pronounce ‘car’
In the process above, if the child has not been able to look and listen to the world around them, it doesn’t matter how many times they hear people around them saying ‘car’, they cannot map this word onto anything.
Therefore they do not learn new names for objects, they struggle to develop their play skills, and this impacts their communication and language development. Children develop their attention and listening skills over time.
- Gain the child’s attention - ensure you have the child’s attention BEFORE giving the instruction, e.g. say the child’s name first and wait for them to look.
- Follow the child’s lead - incorporate their interests into play.
- Imitate the child's actions and sounds - mirroring the child's movements, facial expressions, and vocalisations (refer to Intensive Interaction video).
- Get down to their level - sit at the same level as the child when giving instructions to improve eye contact and engagement.
- Offer choices - allow children to choose activities to increase their motivation and engagement.
- Use pauses and waiting - pausing allows the child time to process and respond, fostering turn-taking and anticipation.
- Reduce your language - break long instructions into short 1-2 steps.
- Be prepared to repeat or rephrase messages.
- Minimise background noise - turn off the TV and computers, and find a quiet space for focused activities.
- Reduce visual clutter - keep the environment free of unnecessary items to minimize visual distractions.
- Separate distractions - if children are easily distracted by each other, consider separating them during tasks at home.
- Model the behaviour - demonstrate the desired behaviour, such as sitting still or listening attentively.
- Check understanding - make sure spoken information has been understood.
- Allow processing time - give up to 15 seconds ‘thinking’ time before repeating.
- Repeat information - when you need to repeat information or an instruction, try to do so in the same way, at first.
- Break down information - divide long instructions into smaller, manageable steps.
- Reduce distractions - remove background noise in the environment.
- Use a timer - to visually show how long an activity will last.
- Gradually increase attention - work for short periods of time and gradually build up how long the child can attend for.
- Refocus attention - prompt the child when necessary to help the child to keep on task
- Praise good listening - give praise and reinforce appropriate listening and attention, e.g. “good listening, Jack!”
- Consider seating - move the child near the front of the classroom if necessary.
- Break down tasks - divide tasks into smaller, more achievable steps with clear instructions.
- Use pauses - slow down your delivery and allow time for the child to process instructions or questions.
- Set clear goals - definite the objective of the task to provide a sense of purpose.
- Use timers - use visual timers to help the child to understand the duration of a task and manage time effectively, gradually increase length of time.
- Use visuals - use visuals prompts or schedules to support instructions and understanding, e.g. visual timetable or a simpler version such as ‘now’ and ‘next’ board.
- Make it fun - incorporate playful activities and games to make learning more enjoyable and engaging, keep it varied.
- Check understanding - ask children to repeat instructions or explain what they have understood.
- Specific praise - focus on specific behaviours you want to encourage, such as "good looking" or "good sitting", use positive language.
- Consider fidgets - allowing children to fidget with appropriate items can sometimes help them focus.
- Allow processing time - give up to 15 seconds ‘thinking’ time before repeating.
- Repeat information - when you need to repeat information or an instruction, try to do so in the same way, at first.
Depending on the activity or situation, children can present, as described, within the different stages of attention and listening.
Fleeting attention is easily distracted by their environment and attention flits from one thing to another.
What this could look like;
- wandering around the room, picking items up that aren’t necessarily related
- becoming distracted by noises, movement, lights, or other children
- engaging best with highly motivating, sensory, or fast-paced activities
- watching what others are doing instead of focusing on what they’re doing
- difficulty staying seated during non-motivating activities
- looking around the room when someone is talking to them
becoming overwhelmed in noisy or visually busy environments
Rigid Attention can concentrate on a task of their own choice but finds it difficult to tolerate interruption from another person.
What this could look like;
- not turning to their name or instructions being given
- becoming deeply absorbed in a preferred activity for longer periods
- struggling with transitions between activities or routines
- resisting adult direction if it interrupts what they’re doing
- appearing unaware of what is happening around them
- reacting strongly to unexpected changes or interruptions
Single-Channelled Attention can focus on only one thing at once e.g. difficulty doing an activity and listening to an instruction.
What this could look like;
- needing to stop what they are doing to listen to instructions
- losing track of what they were doing
- pausing play when someone talks to them
- responding better to short, simple directions delivered one at a time
- needing visual or physical prompts to support understanding
- finding group discussions/activities difficult while engaged in another activity
Focused Attention can start to control their focus and shift attention between tasks, though still one at a time.
What this could look like;
- being able to pause an activity briefly to listen, then go back to it
- moving attention from one task to another when prompted
- listening and responding more consistently during group activities
- benefiting from clear routines and predictable expectations
- beginning to organise actions in order during play or learning tasks
- showing more persistence when activities become slightly challenging
Two-Channelled Attention can focus on a task while also understanding instructions or engaging in other activities.
What this could look like;
- continuing something while listening to and following verbal instructions
- moving attention flexibly between different sources of information
- managing transitions and changes in routine more smoothly
- maintaining concentration despite some environmental distractions
- returning to tasks easily after short interruptions
- demonstrating improved self-regulation and attention control
Integrated Attention can flexibly shift attention between different situations and people, with a greater capacity for sustained attention.
What this could look like;
- sustaining attention on tasks for extended periods, including less preferred activities
- moving attention smoothly between activities, people, and conversations
- adapting attention appropriately to different situations and expectations
- participating effectively in group discussions and collaborative activities
- prioritising important information within busy environments
- balancing attention between peers, adults, and activities
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