Ever heard a professional throw around the term “joint attention”? I like to think of it as a triangle. Each of the points are two people and an object and the sides of the triangle are the lines of sight. Joint attention is so fundamental to communication because it connects two communicators through a shared message.
I love the language @socialthinking uses- “thinking with your eyes” because it encourages communicators to infer what a person might be thinking about based on their line of sight. Here are 3 examples of joint attention that you might see throughout your day:
1️⃣ You can see joint attention in action when your child looks at a desired object and then looks to you as if to request. You can tell what they want because you followed their line of sight and made an inference.
2️⃣ Another example is when your child turns to look at you to express their delight in an activity. This is the type of engagement that melts our hearts!
3️⃣ Joint attention isn’t just for children; think of Jim on @theoffice making eye contact with the camera when something awkward happens. You don’t need to say anything to know what he’s thinking!
But joint attention doesn’t come easy to everyone! Here are some ways to encourage joint attention with your child:
1️⃣ Get next to your child and the object of their attention. Move yourself into their line of sight and turn your head from looking at the object to looking at your child. This models the “triangle” of joint attention.
2️⃣ If you want to show them something, stand next to your child and point at the target object. By doing this, you are aligning your child’s line of sight with your own.
3️⃣ Use a tunnel! Sit with your child on one end of the tunnel and put the target object on the other end. Point to the object and use the tunnel to encourage that line of sight!
How do you see joint attention play out in your life? Want more tips on engagement? Check out @jessieginsburg.slp !
I love the language @socialthinking uses- “thinking with your eyes” because it encourages communicators to infer what a person might be thinking about based on their line of sight. Here are 3 examples of joint attention that you might see throughout your day:
1️⃣ You can see joint attention in action when your child looks at a desired object and then looks to you as if to request. You can tell what they want because you followed their line of sight and made an inference.
2️⃣ Another example is when your child turns to look at you to express their delight in an activity. This is the type of engagement that melts our hearts!
3️⃣ Joint attention isn’t just for children; think of Jim on @theoffice making eye contact with the camera when something awkward happens. You don’t need to say anything to know what he’s thinking!
But joint attention doesn’t come easy to everyone! Here are some ways to encourage joint attention with your child:
1️⃣ Get next to your child and the object of their attention. Move yourself into their line of sight and turn your head from looking at the object to looking at your child. This models the “triangle” of joint attention.
2️⃣ If you want to show them something, stand next to your child and point at the target object. By doing this, you are aligning your child’s line of sight with your own.
3️⃣ Use a tunnel! Sit with your child on one end of the tunnel and put the target object on the other end. Point to the object and use the tunnel to encourage that line of sight!
How do you see joint attention play out in your life? Want more tips on engagement? Check out @jessieginsburg.slp !
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