This week, we are focusing on the importance of joint attention skills, and tips to engage in joint attention with your child.
Joint attention is a social skill that involves 2 people sharing an interest in something, like a play object or book. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder often struggle with joint attention due to its social nature. Targeting joint attention as a goal can help a child’s speech, play skills, and relationship with you.
You may have heard the term joint attention from your child’s therapists, and may have an unclear idea of what joint attention is.
Common Misconceptions
-Parallel play, or 2 peers playing independently beside each other
-Sitting next to your child while they play individually
Joint attention requires social interaction, which means that independent activities do not target joint attention.
Examples
-Reading a book together
-Using a pop-up toy or other cause and effect toy together
-Completing a puzzle
-Stacking blocks together
DIR Floortime and Joint Attention
DIR Floortime is a wonderful form of therapy to target joint attention. DIR stand for Developmental, Individual Differences, and Relationships, and Stanley Greenspan developed it. Floortime focuses on following your child’s lead, and expanding from there. For example, if your child is very interested in trains, it will likely be easier to engage in joint attention when using trains together than if you were to set up an opportunity with a less motivating toy. Additionally, joint attention can follow their agenda. As adults, we like to spend time talking about our interests, plans, etc. Similarly, a child with ASD often wants to share their interests with you, but may not have the verbal language or social skills to do so. You can engage in joint attention with your child by rolling trains with them, getting on their level, and holding up the train to encourage eye contact. You can encourage them to verbalize by rolling the train, stopping, and asking, “do you want more? Say ‘More’”.
Following your child’s lead can often increase the length of an engagement because the child does not feel pressured to follow a specific agenda. Floortime encourages the social partner to build on the child’s agenda by slowly joining and expanding. Expansion is not necessary when you’re specifically trying to support your child’s joint attention skills!
I hope these tips are helpful and you are able to engage in joint attention with your child while schools may be closed for some time. Please reach out or comment with any questions!
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