Autism and Joint Attention

The word joint attention for children with autism seems to be used a lot lately.  Therapist often use it with families and parents are left wondering what in the world they are talking about.  Simple put, joint attention is sharing the point of attention with your child.  This is something that comes naturally to most children, but children on the spectrum often need to be taught this skill.  This can be taught through play.  Below is an example of me working with a child to teach joint attention.  I am hiding playdoe under the containers and he is watching to find it.  This is one of his favorite activities.  This child is beginning to acquire joint attention.  It's exciting!  Other ideas include rolling a ball back and forth or pointing to something for the child to look.  Joint Attention skills are believed to be important to the development of social skills of all kinds, including the ability to participate in social play.