Limited attention span compared to developmental age
Examples of strategies or provision that could be used to support.
Provision and or strategies
- Use child / young person’s interests as a motivator and to extend engagement.
- Implement regular, short breaks.
- Plan for differentiation.
- Use chunking and break tasks down into smaller, manageable steps.
- Consider the use of visual timetables.
- Consider backward chaining – Break the overall task down into smaller steps. The adult helps the child with all but that last step with the child / young person being taught to do the last step themselves. Once the last step is learnt, the child / young person and adult work backwards learning other steps of the sequence until they can do the entire task.
- Use the child / young person’s name when giving instructions.
- Ask the child / young person to repeat back what activity they are going to do.
- Consider use of timers, so they know they only have to focus for a comfortable amount of time.
- Plan individualised timetables.