28/05/2023
Joint Attention also known as shared attention is how a child shares an experience with you. It is when two people coordinate their attention on a common object, person or an event. It develops very early in life as early as infancy.
Joint attention is a skill that involves gaining a person’s attention, maintaining that attention as well as shifting it. It can be established through eye gaze, gesture (pointing), words or sounds. It is one of the prerequisite skills a toddler will master before they begin to understand the words to communicate.
While playing you blow bubbles and the toddler looks at the bubbles with excitement, laughs and looks back at you to suggest “I want you to do that again”. This look from the toddler to the bubbles and then to you to gain attention is known as Join Attention.
Why is it Important?
Children develop language by interacting with others & assigning meaning to the words they hear. They listen to adults talk about a toy they are playing with, and this allows children to match the meaning to the words they hear. This is the foundation for developing their receptive (understanding) & expressive (spoken)language.
Joint attention allows children to develop their turn taking skills, initiate or respond to an interaction by using gestures, sounds or words. It also helps children to develop and learn new play skills by observing their caregivers.
By the age of two most children are able to engage in sustained joint attention with others and use language to communicate their experiences/needs. As children develop, they become more skilled at sharing attention in different environments such as learning new information at school or during play activities.
Difficulties in joint attention are usually observed in individuals with Developmental disorders/delays. 🇱🇰
