JOINT ATTENTION
Joint attention is achieved when a child looks at an object of interest and then to the parent to see if she is sharing the experience. Joint attention is of critical importance to developing communication skills.
Begin by positioning yourself so you are face-to-face with your child at his eye level. Bring an object of interest into your child’s line of vision. You may want to try a favorite toy or a new toy to get your child’s attention. I have the greatest success with new toys that the child has never seen before. I have had the most success with wind up toys that the child doesn’t know how to operate, bubbles and puppets.
Your child’s immediate reaction will be to try and grab the toy. If he needs your help to activate it then you have to play an active role. Try activating a wind up toy, let it play out on a table and then hold it up next to your eyes, shake it, smile, say your child’s name or phrases such as “Oh, look!” with excitement. If he looks at the toy and then at you reinforce him by activating the toy again and praise him.
You are encouraging your child to share the moment with you. You may want to try blowing a bubble, catching it on the wand and bringing it next to your eyes or hold a talking puppet close to your face and pretend it is speaking to you and your child. Try to make this fun and playful exchanging eye contact, smiles, facial expressions, and joint attention to the object (i.e., your child looking at the object and then back at you to see if you shared the experience).
Incorporate working on joint attention on a daily basis even if you only have a few minutes it is so important to build this skill. Joint attention is the foundation upon which we build communication skills.