Joint attention is the ability to coordinate attention between an object and a person in a social context. For example, when given a new toy, a baby looks at the toy and turns and looks toward his mother to show her the toy. Typically present by 12 to 14 months of age, this is an important building block for language development, play, imitation, social behavior and executive functioning. It is also a crucial missing piece for children on the Autism spectrum.
Early screening tools used to detect Autism indicate that children who lack gaze monitoring are highly likely to receive a diagnosis of Autism by the time they are two to three years old. Research by Connie Kasari at the Center for Autism Research and Treatment, at University of California, Los Angeles has shown that when intervention specifically targets the development of joint-attention and symbolic play, there are positive long-term effects, including stronger vocabularies and more developed language skills.
Targeting joint attention can be done in a variety of fun ways. Here are some tips for how to increase a child’s ability to use eye gaze and gestures to make requests and share interest:
• Have the child gesture come play prior to following him to any activity. Start with activities they are highly motivated to engage in.
• Keep favorite items within sight but out of reach, or inside clear bins, so that your child will need to request help to access items. Have them point to the item they are seeking.
• During wagon rides, stop and wait for the child to look at you. Then ask him which way he wants to go using a direction point. Once the child points follow his lead.
• Draw attention to objects in an animated verbal “look!” When child looks at object, draw his attention back to you to provide the object’s name.
• Hide an object in a hat or box and ask child to find it. Once he is proficient at this, ask him to find an object that is not in the container so the child will have to look back at your to get more information about where object is.
• Give child a familiar object with a piece missing. Hold on to the missing piece where the child can see it. When your child begins searching for the missing piece, draw his attention to you. Repeat with a variety of objects until the child references you independently when he notices something out of place.
Working With Autism is located at 16530 Ventura Blvd, Suite 510 in Encino. For more information, please call 818-582-2210 and visit www.workingwithautism.com.