FAQautism

For a variety of reasons, inattention is one of the challenges inherent in autism. One of my most articulate friends with autism tells me that no matter how hard she tries to focus, various scripts running through her head and a swarm of external stimuli distract her. This distractibility interferes with her ability to focus at school, at her job, and at home. It also stands in the way of her being able to carry on a conversation and to maintain personal relationships.

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This young lady has made some improvement as a result of working with teachers and therapists to develop and implement strategies designed to improve her attentiveness. But, as she says, the interference of repetitive scripts and sensory “noise” is not something that will magically disappear. Her insights and my observations of hundreds of individuals with autism over the years have resulted in these three basic principles for addressing inattention.

1. ACCEPT FACTS. Once every avenue for improving attentiveness has been explored, the fact remains that some individuals with autism will still deal with issues that stand in the way of their being able to maintain focus. Although we can certainly make every effort to help encourage attentiveness, it is often counterproductive to fuss at or constantly nag a person by saying, “You never pay attention,” or “You’d better pay attention to me.” The fact remains that, in spite of our best efforts, many individuals will, because of the very nature of autism, struggle to maintain focus for extended periods of time.

2. LEARN CUES. Teachers, parents, job coaches, and others can keep their antennae up and learn to recognize signs of attentiveness and focus as well as signs that our friend with autism is drifting away. Keep in mind that we need not assume that a person with autism is not paying attention when they look down at the ground or hum or rock. The young lady mentioned above actually finds it helpful to look at a spot on the ground during a conversation to keep from being distracted by all the visual stimuli swirling around.

3. GRAB THE MOMENT. When we do see a person is on target, we can maximize that time and encourage their focus with active interaction and communication. Over the years, I’ve learned to take advantage of the times my friends with autism are paying attention and to let things slide when they are not focused.

TIP FOR THE DAY: None of us pay attention one-hundred-percent of the time, but some individuals with autism are extraordinarily inattentive. We can certainly help shape a person’s ability to focus, but we also need to accept the fact that internal and external stimuli can stand in the way of attentiveness to some extent.

I hope you will pay attention to this closing thought – I really depend on word of mouth to inform people about FAQautism.com, so I appreciate your taking a minute to send a link to people you know who are interested in the well-being of individuals with autism http://FAQautism.com

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com

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