A Guide to Understanding Attention

If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you may recall our 1/21/20 post reviewed the 4 functions (or reasons) of behavior, and one of those functions of behavior is attention. Believe it or not, almost everyone likes attention, if it’s the right kind and under the right circumstances. Individuals diagnosed with autism are no different in this respect.

It’s easy to think someone may be only motivated for attention such as praise or a crowd cheering. But spoiler alert- some people actually find it reinforcing or ‘fun’ to see a parent, teacher, or friend get upset. For children it can be like a cartoon come to life, and individuals with ASD may not understand that their actions are actually causing the other person distress. Difficulty understanding the feelings and perspectives of others is one of the core deficits of autism.

Attention can take many forms: it can be warm or stern, obvious or subtle, loud or silent. Attention could be that quick eye contact you made, the little smile you gave, or even that reprimand or comment meant to stop that behavior. So how do we know when a behavior seeks attention, regardless if we meant it to be reinforcing or punishing?

For example, your child did something inappropriate such as hitting their younger sibling and you reprimand them every time. However, their behavior doesn’t seem to get better and the hitting continues. It seems that you always have to keep an eye on them because once you look away, it starts happening again. Could your child be doing this for your attention?

If you suspect that a certain behavior might be for your attention (either positive or negative), first observe and take note of what is usually happening right before this behavior occurs. Using our previous example, maybe you noticed it occurs when you’re on the phone or busy talking to someone else. Maybe you start noticing that when you start playing with their sibling, hitting is sure to follow. Behaviors that occur to gain attention are more likely to occur:

• When a highly preferred individual is present (especially if that person is busy or interacting with someone else)
• When many people are present
• In low attention conditions (e.g., independent play or work time, large groups of children with few adults, etc.)

Next, take note of what usually occurs right after a behavior. Using our same example, let’s say that after your child hits their sibling, you always stop what you are doing to correct your child’s behavior, “No! Why did you do that?” or “Don’t hit him! Say sorry!” Receiving attention following a behavior is a reason to suspect that the behavior may be occurring to gain attention. The important part in this process is to look at what consistently happens before and after your child engages in a behavior of concern.

If you suspect that a problem behavior may be attention-seeking, behavior analysts can assess the situation to determine if the behavior is maintained by attention. Once the reason is identified, the treatment team can help decrease those inappropriate attention-seeking behaviors. Meanwhile, they will also teach other appropriate ways to gain or to wait for the attention they naturally desire. You’ll be a part of the process too, as your team will strive to teach you strategies to respond to these tricky situations and help continue your child’s growth!

Yeana Kim, M.Ed., BCBA
Associate Clinical Director, South Bay Los Angeles
Tuesday, March 3, 2020