1. Attention and Concentration
Struggling with attention (selecting where to focus) and concentration (keeping your attention on what you need to) is a real difficulty. There are a few different types of attention, for example; moving from one task to another, keeping your attention on something without getting distracted, picking out what you need to focus on and being able to attend to more than one thing at once. Strategies can be internal to you, i.e. what you can do to help with your attention, or external to you: how you can change the environment to reduce distraction for example. Here are some strategies for helping you with attention: Taking In Information – Think about what the easiest way for you to take in information is and then you can make adaptations at home/ work to work with your strengths, think about: • Do you prefer information that is visual (like pictures and diagrams) or written text? • Do you need to hear instructions before you can actually do them? • Do you need to be moving about and being active? • Do you prefer practical tasks? • Audio (read aloud can help) or written material • Figuring out what works best for you can be really beneficial in trying to target your day to day activities so that you are most likely to keep your concentration.
Movement Can Help – Some people find moving around or fidgeting helps them to concentrate. If you need to do this, try to move to help concentration, for example:
Fiddle with a
pen
•
Chew some gum.
•
Use an inflatable ball to sit on.
•
Switching Tasks – Become aware of when you are getting bored and try to switch
activities before you get distracted. Give yourself permission to switch tasks. You
may find this holds your interest better and in turn feel more productive
DEVON ADULT AUTISM AND ADHD SERVICE 9
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