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Joint attention
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Joint attention
What is joint attention?
Joint attention is the sharing of a moment between two people when they both know that they are focused on the same thing. You might also hear the terms ‘shared attention’ or ‘shared/joint engagement’.
This means a child can focus their attention on the person they are communicating with, but also on the object or event they are communicating about.
Usually it involves the child looking at the adult, then at an object they are interested in and back at the adult again. They are trying to show you something, simply for the purpose of socially sharing something interesting.
Why is joint attention so important for social communication development?
It means a child can share their interests about the world verbally or non-verbally
The child and adult will connect about the shared interest between them
Adults will use a word or gesture to comment on that interest which the child will hear and learn from
What helps children share attention? 
The best way to support joint attention is by changing the way that we play. There are lots of different approaches that you can use that will help:
- Following their lead
- Being on the same level as your child
- Playing with the things your child is most interested in
- Comment on what they are doing
- Imitate their play
- Reducing your language
- Giving your child time to respond
- Reducing the number of questions you ask
- Playing people games
- Using Intensive interaction
- Creating opportunities for surprises in play that might catch your child’s attention
Children find it harder to share attention when adults:
- ask lots of questions or tell them what to do
- ask children to focus on something they’re not interested in
- try to guide how a child plays
Additional resources and information
This article from the Hanen Centre explains what is joint attention and how to help children develop joint attention: http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Paying-Attention-to-Childrens-Joint-Attention.aspx
This video from the Hanen Centre talks about joint engagement in children with an autism diagnosis:
If your child is autistic or has communication difficulties, they may have differences in how their joint attention develops.
Contact us
For more information please contact the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Flockton House on 0114 226 2333.
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Disclaimer
Please note: this is a generic information sheet relating to care at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT. These details may not reflect treatment at other hospitals. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professionals’ instructions. If this resource relates to medicines, please read it alongside the medicine manufacturer’s patient information leaflet. If this information has been translated into another language from English, efforts have been made to maintain accuracy, but there may still be some translation errors. If you are unsure about any of the guidance in this resource or have specific questions about how it relates to your child, always ask your healthcare professional for further advice.
Resource number: SL20
Resource Type: Article
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Interesting Facts
We’ve got a special MRI scanner just for teddies so children can see what it’s like before they have a scan.
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