The Importance of Attention and Listening Skills in Children’s Communication Development
Introduction
As parents, caregivers, or educators, we all want children to have strong communication skills and succeed in their learning. However, some children may struggle with attention and listening, which can impact their ability to process verbal information and complete tasks. This is particularly common in children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).
High-Stimulus Activities?
While it may be tempting to use high-stimulus digital activities to grab children’s attention, it’s important to recognize that attention is made up of several skills. These include orienting attention, focusing attention, disconnecting attention, switching focus, and integrated attention. We need to develop all of these skills to support children’s communication development and learning.
Constantly changing activities can tap into our human need to notice new stimulus, but it doesn’t allow for deep processing of information. This can be particularly challenging for children with SLCN who require close attention and deep processing for Speech and Language Therapy. Shiny new activities can also distract from the smaller distinctions in language skill that Speech and Language Therapy often requires children to process.
Moreover, what may seem boring to adults can actually be anxiety-reducing predictability for children with SLCN. Children often appreciate activities that they can access and understand, even if they seem repetitive or uninteresting to adults. Therefore, it’s important to strike a balance between engaging activities and activities that allow for close attention and deep processing.
Be Boring!
As adults, our drive to make activities more exciting may be driven by our own concerns about keeping children engaged or impressing other adults. However, it’s essential to prioritize children’s needs and focus on developing their attention and listening skills through a variety of activities that balance excitement and repetition.
So, the next time you plan an activity for a child with SLCN, try being boring and see how it works. You may be surprised to find that predictable, repetitive activities can be just as effective in developing attention and listening skills as exciting, high-stimulus ones.
Angharad Welch
Speech and Language Therapist - Find the Key SLT
Angharad Welch is a Speech and Language Therapist who runs a private practice called Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy. She specialises in working with children with complex medical conditions, learning and physical disabilities, and supporting mainstream primary schools and their SENCOs to meet their whole-school needs. Angharad works with toddlers through to teenagers, but particularly enjoys working with children, families, and settings at EYFS and Key Stages 1 and 2.
Angharad has recorded podcasts for The SENDcast and spoken for BSquared, and delivered training for ICAN, Elklan. She also hosts online training courses for teachers and others as part of her independent SLT practice in the Herefordshire area.
Angharad has been running Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy for four years, and her website offers information on her services as well as resources for parents and professionals. She is active on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram and has been a speaker at various events.
