Joint Attention in Preschool Children: Is it a Meaningful Measure?

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the degree to which measuring joint attention an aspect of social attention, is meaningful for the learning and development of preschool children. Joint attention refers to the executive capacity to coordinate visual attention with another person. This pivotal skill begins to develop from 6 to 18 months of age and continues to be refined and coordinated throughout individual developmental trajectories. In this study joint attention was measured in forty-three 4 to 5-year-olds asked to coordinate their attention with that of an unfamiliar adult during a social attention word learning task. The results revealed that there were individual differences in joint attention for children in this age group which suggests that this may be a meaningful construct to measure. These data contribute to a small but growing literature on the potential utility of joint attention theory and measurement in preschool aged children to further our understanding of social attention coordination in classroom contexts.

Differences in sensory responses among children with autism spectrum disorder and typical development: Links to joint attention and social competence

“…Interestingly, we found that the ASD group exhibited significantly fewer social initiations than the TD group, but no differences emerged between groups in their RJA skills once we controlled for opportunity (attentional bids). Joint attention is a skill that is often measured when children are in preverbal stages of development (i.e., 6–18 months), yet consistent with Sullivan et al’s () findings, our sample of children with higher chronological ages demonstrated significant variability in IJA. Joint attention assessment may be a useful tool for understanding individual differences related to social behaviour development for school‐age children (Sullivan et al, ).…”

“…Given its developmental timing, it is not surprising that the majority of studies assessing joint attention in ASD enlist samples of young children (e.g., 18–24 months) as joint attention serves as one of the best ways to discriminate children at risk for ASD at early ages due to its emergence before language (Charman, ). However, a recent study by Sullivan, Mundy, and Mastergeorge () demonstrated variability in joint attention even among typically developing 4 and 5‐year‐olds, supporting the notion that joint attention can be a valid measure of social communication among older children. Work on joint engagement in high‐functioning children with ASD has revealed significantly fewer initiating bids for joint attention in this group compared with a matched TD sample during a structured play task with their primary caregiver (e.g., Meek, Robinson, & Jahromi, ).…”

“…Given its developmental timing, it is not surprising that the majority of studies assessing joint attention in ASD enlist samples of young children (e.g., 18-24 months) as joint attention serves as one of the best ways to discriminate children at risk for ASD at early ages due to its emergence before language (Charman, 2003). However, a recent study by Sullivan, Mundy, and Mastergeorge (2015) demonstrated variability in joint attention even among typically developing 4 and 5-year-olds, supporting the notion that joint attention can be a valid measure of social communication among older children.…”

“…Joint attention is a skill that is often measured when children are in preverbal stages of development (i.e., 6-18 months), yet consistent with Sullivan et al's (2015) findings, our sample of children with higher chronological ages demonstrated significant variability in IJA. Joint attention assessment may be a useful tool for understanding individual differences related to social behaviour development for school-age children (Sullivan et al, 2015). Meek et al (2012) provided evidence that higher instances of child-initiated social interactions with a parent predict greater social competence with peers after controlling for mental age for a sample of preschoolers with ASD and TD.…”

Impact of Joint Attention on Social‐communication Skills in Internationally Adopted Children

“…The next step is to continue to explore the role of JA skills in promoting successful outcomes. Following on the findings from Sullivan, Mundy, and Mastergeorge (), it will be important to consider individual differences in JA as children develop, to continue to look for valid measures of JA after infancy during early childhood, and to develop reliable ways of facilitating improvement in JA abilities in various populations of at‐risk children. Translating the findings from this study and future studies into more focused intervention programs and/or incorporating them into already‐existing relationship‐based programs, such as parent–child interactive therapy may prove to increase efficacy.…”