This term, we’re thrilled to share that our team has received expert training on Attention Autism from the Speech and Language Advisory Team. This new approach is already beginning to have a positive impact, and we're excited to incorporate these activities into our daily routines.

What is Attention Autism?

Attention Autism is a structured, evidence-based intervention designed to support children with autism by enhancing their attention, communication, and engagement skills. The approach, developed by Gina Davies, focusses on capturing students' attention through engaging and highly visual activities. It includes a series of stages that progressively build attention and communication, helping students to stay engaged and participate more actively in learning.

The core of the Attention Autism technique lies in the use of attention-grabbing materials, sensory experiences, and the systematic approach to engaging children. The activities range from highly visual tasks, such as a bucket of exciting objects that capture the children’s focus, to more complex structured tasks that develop skills like turn-taking and communication.

Training with the Speech and Language Advisory Team

Our ASD unit staff was recently fortunate to receive training from the Speech and Language Advisory Team, who guided us through the core principles of Attention Autism. The team shared practical advice on how to tailor the approach to meet the individual needs of our students.

During the training, we learned how the four stages of Attention Autism—Stage 1: Focused Attention, Stage 2: Building Attention, Stage 3: Independent Attention, and Stage 4: Generalisation of Skills—can be effectively applied in classroom settings.

Our staff was encouraged to use high-interest activities to engage students and focus their attention for progressively longer periods. We also explored how to incorporate these activities into our everyday routines and ensure that students can access the learning in a way that is enjoyable and meaningful to them.