Joint Attention

The start of social skills: Teaching to share a common interest

Goal

Teach the learner to initiate and respond to shared interests.

How

Joint attention means that two people are attending to the same thing. Through their reactions, they should be able to identify how the other person feels about the shared situation. For some learners, we may need to teach them how to respond to others’ requests to attend, as well as how to initiate joint attention themselves (e.g. “look at this!”).

Context

Teach and refine these skills in natural and play settings. Choose activities that target building joint attention like cause-and-effect toys or games where you can have big excited or surprised reactions.

Tip

Use exaggerated expressions while interacting with a toy to help the learner learn to use others’ faces as a cue for what they are thinking. Example: a block tower falls over. Make an exaggerated “surprise” face by raising your eyebrows, covering your mouth and saying “uh-oh!” If the learner looks at you, celebrate their joint attention!

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