Attention Autism sessions
Attention Autism is an approach designed by Gina Davis, a Speech and Language Therapist, to work on key communication skills in a fun and motivating way. Attention Autism, when carried out regularly, builds a range of skills including focusing attention, shifting attention from one thing to another, understanding spoken language, communicating with an adult, and sharing attention with others.
Children within Horsham Nursery SSC participate in Attention Autism sessions at the end of their morning or afternoon session. We name this group session "wow time".
Attention is a foundational skill within the field of communication. Building core attention skills alongside other communication skills such as speech or interaction skills is fundamental. In Horsham Nursery SSC, we use Attention Autism to build up attention skills. This supports children in the nursery environment when focusing and engaging with activities.
Attention Autism consists of three stages each with their own purpose:
Stage 1– Watching the adult pull motivating toys out of a box, to focus attention.
Stage 2– Watching the adult carry out an exciting activity to build attention.
Stage 3- Taking a turn one at a time with an activity to practice shifting attention to the activity and back to sitting/watching.
This is a very brief summary of how our ‘wow time’ looks and why Attention Autism is a fundamental part of it. There are some fantastic videos on Gina Davis’ Youtube channel to give you a little insight into what an Attention Autism session could look like. Please do contact the office if you have any questions or would like any further information.