Joint Attention - Early Indicators:
-Joint attention to objects and events is an important early skill that infants near the end of the first year.
-A child learns to make eye contact with another person to share an experience with an object or event.
-It is an early indication that the child recognizes that the adult is giving attention to the same object or event.
-The chosen object or event is the shared reference point.
-The child communicates socially with verbalizations and non-verbal cues (pointing, smiling, and/or eye contact).
-As an early indicator: a child may orient to a person's face when they come in a room.
-As an early indicator, a child may cover his or her eyes and laugh in a "peek-a-boo" game.
-As an early indicator, a child may engage an adult in a "pick-up" game and laugh.
-As an early indicator, a child may use sustained eye contact with a stranger.
-Individuals with autism may have difficulty displaying these early communication skills as infants and young children and later in their development.
-Difficulty with initiation of joint attention may be a good predictor of the atypical communication often seen in individuals with autism.
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Joint Attention - Shared Reference Points:
-Joint attention to objects and events is an important early skill that infants demonstrate near the end of the first year.
-A child learns to make eye contact with another person to share an experience with an object or event.
-It is an early indication that the child recognizes that the adult is giving attention to the same object or event.
-The chosen object or event is the shared reference point.
-The child communicates socially with verbalizations and non-verbal cues (pointing, smiling, and/or eye contact).
-As a shared reference point, a child may point to an object while looking at an adult to make a request. It is a bid for joint attention if the child is asking for the adult's attention (not the object).
-As a shared reference point, a child may show an adult an interesting toy.
-As a shared reference point, a child may look at someone and announce an event.
-As a shared reference point, a child may point and name a picture and see if the other person is looking.
-Individuals with autism who have difficulty displaying these early communication skills as infants and young children may later struggle with social and communication competence.
-Difficulty initiating (not responding to) joint attention may be a good predictor of the atypical communication often seen in individuals with autism.
-Acquiring language and theory of mind may be at risk if joint attending to events in the world is compromised.
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Links to Resource/Research Information:
- Akhtar, N., Gernsbacher, M.A., Joint Attention and Vocabulary Development: A Critical Look, Lang Linguist Compass
. 2007 May ; 1(3): 195–207. doi:10.1111/j.1749-818X.2007.00014.x.
- Brereton, A.V., Increasing joint attention skills in young children with autism, ACT-NOW Fact Sheet 53.
- Charman, T., "Why is joint attention a pivotal skill in autism?", The Royal Society, Published online 16 January 2003.
- Daymut, J.A., Joint Attention Skills and the Child with Autism, Super Duper® Handy Handouts! Number 196.
- Early warning sign for babies at risk of autism: Early joint attention predicts later autism symptoms, University of Miami. ScienceDaily, July 24, 2014.
- Gernsbacher, M.A., Stevenson, J.L., Khandakar, S., Goldsmith, H.H., Why Does Joint Attention Look Atypical in Autism?, Child Dev Perspect. 2008 April ; 2(1): 38–45. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00039.x.
- Joint Attention: The Balancing Act, relatetoautism.com/article_414.
- Siller, M., Swanson, M., Gerber, A. Hutman, T., Sigman, M., A Parent-Mediated Intervention That Targets Responsive Parental Behaviors Increases Attachment Behaviors in Children with ASD: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial, J Autism Dev Disord. 2014 Jul; 44(7): 1720–1732.
- Siller, M., Sigman, M. The Behaviors of Parents of Children with Autism Predict the Subsequent Development of Their Children’s Communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 32, No. 2, April 2002.