Speech & Language

Attention & Listening

The ability to focus attention on something or someone is important for all types of learning, particularly speech and language development. Good attention is the ability to focus on something or someone for a certain length of time.

As children progress through education, it becomes increasingly important for them to focus their own attention for sustained periods of time. To learn at school, a child must be able to listen and attend to what is happening around him/her to understand it, despite varying levels of distraction.

What Difficulties May Look Like:

May not respond to their name being called.
May need instructions to be repeated several times.
May focus on only part of an instruction.
May find it difficult to sit still.
May prefer to focus on self-chosen activities.
May not focus on an activity for very long.
May appear to daydream.

Impact Of Difficulties:

May show disruptive behaviours.
May struggle to complete adult led activities.
May not understand or follow instructions.
May be easily distracted.
May need adult support to stay on task.

Other Areas to Consider:

Has the pupil’s hearing been checked?
Does the pupil use hearing aids/cochlear implants – are these working well and being checked on a daily basis?

Universal Strategies

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Helpful Techniques For The Classroom

Use visual supports such as a visual timetable and First/Then board - to show the structure of the day and help the child understand what is expected of them.
Minimise distractions in the area where you want the child to listen. Keep wall displays neutral and consistent.
Encourage turn-taking - this will have a positive impact on their listening.
Sit the child who finds it tricky to listen at the front of the class – this will allow them to gain maximum benefit from visual and non-verbal clues and will also enable you to monitor their listening and attention levels more closely.
Encourage participation – allowing children to join in with gestures, props and movement will help them to listen and maintain their attention for longer.
Provide frequent opportunities for movement breaks (e.g. every 30 minutes, encourage all children to stand up, turn around and clap hands).

More Ways to Help

If the child is busy, try calling their name before talking to them or giving them an instruction.
Encourage listening and attention by simplifying what you say. Try ‘chunking’ longer sentences into a series of shorter sentences.
Use your voice and facial expression to keep their interest in activities - speak in a lively animated voice.
When talking to the child, try and get down to their level so you’re face to face with them. This helps them to know that you are talking to them and allows them to see your face.

Targeted Interventions

Aims of targeted interventions:

For the pupil to respond to their name being called
For the pupil to attend to an adult led activity for X number of minutes
For the pupil to shift their attention from one activity to another.

Who Can Help?

You can access Speech and Language support by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays).

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SLCN Professional Training

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Gina Davies Autism Centre

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