Ask Me Anything - Limited Attention Span

Ask Me Anything - Limited Attention Span

Welcome to my "Ask Me Anything" blog post series!

I answer lots of questions on my social media channels, and it makes sense to share this information (anonymously!) in case it is useful for others too.

"I teach in a mainstream school in SEND unit and have a new starter who is an absolute whirlwind. Such a limited attention span, probably 30 seconds at the most, he just doesn’t stay still. My room is zoned to a certain extent but just wondered if anyone has any ideas on how to occupy him and keep him busy?"

In my experience, giving the child a communication device can help here. I've experienced children going from whirlwinds to the calmest in a class as this can ground them. 

I would suggest trying:

- Making sure he can be understood and understand 
- Sensory circuits after EVERY small task 
- With everything that you do, step it up in a sensory circuit type way - thinking about “alerting” “organising” “grounding”, repeat 
- Set very short tasks and very long breaks 
- Use weighted blankets

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, let me know.

*I am not a doctor or medical professional, so for some questions you might want to contact your GP, the National Autistic Society, or the NHS.

 

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