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Attention Please!
By Julie Neenan | September 20, 2008
Seriously, attention, please. Attention is an often overlooked skill on IEPs for children with autism. But, attention is a precursor to ALL other learning, and usually needs to be specifically targeted for development for ASD students.
How many IEPs specify things like “Johnny will count aloud to 100”, “match number to quantity to 20”, “identify 20 common actions from picture cards”, etc.?
How many specify that “Johnny will increasingly attend to teacher instructions in a group and from a distance?” or “Johnny will increasingly retain and later demonstrate acquisition of information relayed to a group or from a distance”?
Usually very few, even though there are essential skills for ANY child to be successful in school. And while the typical child can (usually) pay attention and learn in a large group setting, the ASD child (usually) misses many daily learning opportunities.
Attention is directly related to motivation. The typical child generally pays attention for one of several reasons:
- He is interested in the material (automatic positive reinforcement)
- She wants a good grade (delayed positive reinforcement – she will eventually get something good), or
- He doesn’t want a bad grade (negative reinforcement – he avoids a bad consequence).
Other “reinforcement contingencies” could be related to impressing another student or a favorite teacher (social positive reinforcement).
But the ASD child often does not have these same motivational drives. He or she is likely not interested in getting a good grade, or in not getting a bad grade. But, given the right reinforcement contingencies, many ASD students can be taught to improve their attending behaviors - and consequently learn more! – in school.
One student might be motivated by earning pennies each time he is caught with his eyes on the teacher (that can later be traded for computer time). Another might be motivated by earning points for the treasure box each time she raises her hand to answer a question. It is up to the IEP team to strategize and test different approaches until a successful approach is found, but don’t quit until one is found. It could be the difference between learning a little or learning a lot every day!
Topics: ASD in the Classroom Environment, Autism Therapy |