Young children receive information about their world from their senses which are continually bombarded.   To cope without becoming over-stimulated, we learn to focus our attention to what needs or deserves our attention.  We do not allow ourselves to be distracted for stimuli that are irrelevant, like the humming of the refrigerator or passing traffic sounds.  This is a process that takes years to mature and the main way that we measure this skill is through attention span which can be defined simply as the length of time an activity is pursued. Attention is interfered with by distractibility, where the individual is uncontrollably alerted to some other activity or sensation. The child's focused, on-going behavior is interfered with by the distracting noise, sight, or sensation.

For good attention skills to develop, perceptual skills must be adequate. Visual and auditory perception is the ability to physically receive sights and sounds, understand their meaning, and respond appropriately.   If the child has a weakness in being able to differentiate figure-background relationships, poor attention results.   For example, when dad is speaking and other noises are present, a child may not be able to focus on his voice as the essential stimulus and distinguish the other noises as being irrelevant. Similarly, a child may be visually confused and not able to focus on the significant visual part of his environment.  As always, good vision and hearing support are of paramount importance for the developing child.

It is common for young children with Down syndrome to lag behind their typically-developing peers in their development of attention span.  Of particular note is the high visual distractibility we commonly see.  There are a number of ways that parents and caregivers can help develop the attention span and reduce distractibility.  Here are some ideas:

• -Young children with Down syndrome are drawn to faces more than to objects.  This has its advantages, but when working on a discovery task or exploration of an object too much face gazing gets in the way.  At those times, refrain from eye contact with your child and even sit beside or behind her to help her continue looking at the object you wish her to explore.  You can have that good social contact at other times.
• -When her vision is distracted away from the task, give an auditory or tactile cue to get her back on task.  Tap the object or put her hand back on it.  You can also pick up the object (if possible) and put it in her line of vision.
• -Keep visual and noise clutter to a minimum.  You can’t keep other children quiet, but do turn off the TV, radio, etc.  You might also want to have her facing away from the room or a bookshelf full of toys that might distract her.
• -Keep your child interested by drawing her attention to interesting facets of the toy or by showing enthusiasm with what she is doing.  If you are giving instructional supports (e.g., working on a puzzle) keep your language to a minimum as your language is another stimulus that can distract her attention.
• -Expect gradual increases in attention and a gradual reduction in distractibility.  If you have concerns, consult with your child’s teacher, speech therapist, paediatrician or a psychologist.

© Ann Haig Wheeler, DSC 2009

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