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Visual attention in the first years: typical development and developmental disorders
Janette Atkinson1, Oliver Braddick
1Visual Development Unit, Department of Developmental Science, University College London, London, UK.
Insights
Early attention development in children involves three key systems: selective, sustained, and executive control. New tools allow early identification of attention disorders for timely intervention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attention development is crucial for children's daily functioning.
- Three neural subsystems of attention are reviewed: selective, sustained, and executive control.
- These systems are linked to dorsal cortical visual streams and 'dorsal stream vulnerability'.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on the development of three neural attention subsystems in infants and preschool children.
- To highlight early indicators of attentional disorders and new assessment tools.
- To explore the potential for early identification and intervention in developmental syndromes.
Main Methods:
- Review of evidence from infant and preschool studies.
- Utilizing the 'Fixation Shift' task to measure spatial selective attention control.
- Application of the Early Childhood Attention Battery to assess attention profiles.
Main Results:
- Infants show cortical control in disengaging attention around 4 months of age.
- Fixation shifts are early indicators of attentional disorders linked to perinatal brain damage.
- The Early Childhood Attention Battery distinguishes three attention subsystems before age 5 in typical development.
Conclusions:
- Early identification of attention disorders is possible through new assessment methods.
- The Early Childhood Attention Battery aids in identifying attention profiles in developmental syndromes.
- Early detection offers opportunities for effective remediation and treatment of attention disorders.
Abstract:
The development of attention is critical for the young child's competence in dealing with the demands of everyday life. Here we review evidence from infants and preschool children regarding the development of three neural subsystems of attention: selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional (executive) control. These systems overlap with dorsal cortical visual streams and their disorders are related to the general hypothesis of 'dorsal stream vulnerability'. Infants' ability to control spatial selective attention can be measured using the 'Fixation Shift' task. From around 4 months of age, infants start to show cortical control in disengaging to switch between competing targets. Fixation shifts have proved to be an effective early indicator of attentional disorders associated with perinatal brain damage. Executive function emerges slowly, starting around 1 year of age. The new Early Childhood Attention Battery has identified the three attention subsystems as distinct before 5 years of age in typical development and allows assessment of individual attention profiles across these subsystems. The Early Childhood Attention Battery is now being used to identify specific profiles associated with developmental syndromes such as Williams, Down, and fragile X. These new methods offer the possibility of very early identification of attention disorders, raising the challenge of effective remediation and treatment at an early age.
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