Elsevier

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Volume 5, Issue 4, Octoberā€“December 2011, Pages 1283-1295
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Review
Best practices for teaching joint attention: A systematic review of the intervention literature

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2011.02.003Get rights and content

Abstract

Joint attention is the act of sharing an experience of an object or event with another person. Individuals with autism often have deficits in this area. This review synthesizes 27 articles, involving interventions for individuals with autism, that measured joint attention as an outcome variable. Studies were analyzed and summarized in terms of: (a) joint attention as a collateral versus direct outcome, (b) participant characteristics, (c) study design, (d) intervention techniques, (e) types of joint attention measured, and (f) results. Interventions either directly targeted joint attention or measured joint attention as a collateral outcome. Most interventions used a combination of behavioral and developmental strategies. The results of these studies suggest that using play as a context, and training with natural communication partners may benefit generalization. Future research should address the relation between type of intervention and child characteristics, ensure that joint attention behaviors meet natural contingencies that serve the purpose of sharing attention, and continue to examine collateral outcomes of joint attention.

Research highlights

This review examines the research on joint attention. Play is the primary context in which these skills are taught. Strategies for teaching joint attention typically consist of behavioral and developmental instruction. Future research should focus on matching instruction to type of joint attention targeted and to developmental level of the child.

Section snippets

Literature

Joint attention is the ability to coordinate attention between a social partner and an object or event (Bakeman & Adamson, 1984). Joint attention can be defined as ongoing engagement with a communication partner and object, and this consists of two distinct forms ā€“ supported and coordinated. Supported joint attention, which is passive attention to an adult and object, often occurs as a parent attempts to engage the child with an object. Supported joint attention remains stable throughout

Methods

This review involved a systematic analysis of intervention studies that measured joint attention as an outcome variable for individuals with autism.

Results

A total of 27 articles met the criteria for inclusion in this review. An overview of these articles is presented in Table 1. One article is displayed as three studies, as they were presented as separate studies in the article. The table is divided into studies that measured joint attention as a collateral variable (joint attention as a collateral outcome) and those that directly targeted joint attention (joint attention as a direct target). Within these sections, studies are listed in

Overview

This was a systematic review of 27 articles describing interventions that measured joint attention as an outcome. Although there was no constraint on the years of this review, studies were conducted relatively recently; articles were published between 1995 and 2009. Participants ranged in age from 22 months to 10Ā years of age, with results skewed toward the younger ages; most participants were preschool aged. Summary of these studies found that most interventions directly targeted joint

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