A Research Project
Beth Reed
https://youtu.be/1Ab4vLMMAbY
 According to the CDC (2015), autism is a
communication and social disorder that affects 1 in 68
children.
 Children with autism frequently have difficulty with the
ability to establish appropriate social relationships. Smith
(2013), considers that, “Social-emotional development
is believed to be foundational to the development of
cognition, language, and adaptive life skills (Smith,
2013, p. 395)”.
 Learning joint attention skills early on can assist in the
formation of social relationships and theory of mind
later in development (Warreyn & Roeyers, 2013).
 In three studies, the chosen participants all had a diagnosis
of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and were between
three and seven years of age (Warreyn & Roeyers, 2013;
Wong, 2012; Wong & Kasari, 2013).
 Each group had an average total of 45 participants, which
makes the testing population comparable across articles.
 Although the amount of participants and the autism
identification link the studies, the impact of the results could
possibly vary based upon the fact that the children were
recruited from dissimilar settings.
 The behavioral techniques included : modeling appropriate
actions, allowing a child to lead, and integrating the exercises
into routine activities (Warreyn & Roeyers, 2013).
 Wong (2013) imbedded joint attention strategies into
classroom activities with the guidance of a treatment manual.
 Warreyn and Roeyers (2013) and Wong (2013) show that
teacher-directed joint attention interventions have a positive
impact on joint attention skills in preschoolers with autism.
 Children with autism tend to initiate fewer joint attention skills,
and teachers have a tendency to respond to acts of joint
attention more so in structured activities (Wong and Kasari,
2012).
 Possibility of teacher and therapists not completing all of
the forms, checklists, and surveys due to the amount of
time it may demand (Warreyn and Roeyers, 2013).
 Creating an effective and time-manageable method of
collecting data will help to ensure the teachers will
participate fully.
 Taking into account that teacher and child variables (i.e.
years of teaching experience, IQ of the child, etc.) may
possibly influence the effectiveness of the intervention
(Wong, 2013).
 Future longitudinal studies- the long-term effects of the
attained joint attention skills and the ability to generalize
the skill across settings and people.
 As we ascertain more about how children with autism learn we are
opening new doors to interventions.
 Finding a solid, data-driven intervention to aide in the growth of joint
attention skills will guide a child’s team toward successful implementation
of that skill. Parents, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and
early childhood educators can benefit from research-based interventions
to implement with young children with autism. Working together, utilizing
each other’s strengths, will allow professionals and team members to
support the child comprehensively.
 When a child is able to establish joint attention with another person his/her
world opens up into a new realm of communication and socialization. As
this new world opens, the child will have the skills to be included in typical
preschool settings with more success.
 General and special education teachers can work together to establish
an inclusive environment where all children’s needs are being reached.
 Research indicates teacher-guided interventions used to promote joint
attention produce positive outcomes, therefore an increase in the
awareness of these interventions ought to be spread throughout the early
childhood intervention community. Responsiveness on the part of the
community allows for an increase in implementation and an overall
growth in joint attention skills for preschoolers with autism.
› To what extent will teacher-guided
intervention impact a preschooler with
autism’s ability to independently establish
joint attention during a one-to-one playbased activity?
 Preschooler with a medical or educational diagnosis
of autism or developmental delay.
 The child needs will be three or four years old.
 Must have deficits in social skills as demonstrated in
his/her limited ability or complete absence in the skills
needed to establish joint attention interactions with
others. (Observations, parent report, developmental
assessments)
 A teacher and/or paraprofessional with at least two
years of experience in working with young children
with severe social impairments will guide the
intervention.
 A combination of the interventions to improve joint attention skills
in children with autism will be used in a self-contained special
education environment (Lawton & Kasari, 2012; Wong, 2013;
Warreyn & Roeyers, 2013.)
 Adult-led activity in a well-established setting for play-time
activities. (Prior to the guided play sessions the adult will gather
information about the child and what types of toys/activities
motivate that child).
 Using a preferred item/activity, the adult (teacher or
paraprofessional) will lead the child to the play area and begin
interacting with the toys.
 The adult will give wait time (five seconds) to see if the child
directs his eye-gaze toward the toy.
 If the child is not engaged-The prompt hierarchy will begin with
gestures, then verbal prompts, and lastly hand-over-hand
assistance.
 Four 20 minute sessions per week.
 Baseline, intervention, and post intervention data will be
collected using a frequency data form.
 A tally mark will be placed next to the behavior when it
occurs. Transferring the tally marks to a graph during the
baseline and intervention phase will allow the researcher to
see if the intervention is successful (Hojnoski, Gischlar, &
Missall, 2009).
 If the intervention is showing no increase in joint attention
skills the intervention will be adjusted.
 Use of a second adult sitting behind the child and prompting him if
he is unengaged.
 Redo the preference assessment to determine what objects/toys
motivate the child.
 Initially, there may be a decrease in the joint attention
behaviors, but the hope is to see an increase in behaviors
from the baseline data. The objective after the intervention
is to determine if the child will independently establish joint
attention more frequently.
Name_________________
Joint Attention Behaviors Frequency Data Chart
Put a tally mark in the column when the child exhibits one of the following behaviors.
Date
Behaviors
Eye contact with
adult
Eye gaze toward
toy/object
Body moved
facing the
toy/object
Another adult
will observe
and record
the tally marks.
Video will be
used if another
adult is
unavailable.
(shoulders and face
facing the adult)
Communication
via
verbal/nonverbal
toward toy/adult
(reaching out or
touching the toy,
verbalizations
toward the
toy/adult, gestures)
TOTAL NUMBER
OF BEHAVIORS
Notes
Data
Collection
Forms
 Throughout the data collection the researcher will involve
the paraprofessionals in the classroom with team meetings
and also model the appropriate strategies.
 The parents of the child should be involved via frequent
conversations about joint attention, the techniques to
improve joint attention, and suggestions for use in the
home.
 Similarly, the speech and occupational therapist will also
be abreast of the intervention in order to maintain
consistency and exposure to joint attention strategies
throughout the school environment.
 Peer models and siblings will be utilized to help enhance
the joint attention skills across settings and people.
 Parents-Share results with parents to demonstrate the
importance of teaching shared engagement skills. The
family encouraged to view the videos and/or data on
sessions conducted with their child. Open dialogue will
be welcomed with support provided if requested.
 Team of Professionals-The child’s entire team of
professionals will also be given the findings and asked for
input to enhance the skills for the future.
 Colleagues- shared with early childhood educators to
determine if they would like to add the intervention and
data collection form to their repertoire of social skills
instruction.
Case-Smith, J. (2013). Systematic review of interventions to promote social–emotional
development in young children with or at risk for disability. American Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 67, 395–404.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Data & Statistics. Retrieved December from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
Hojnoski, R. L., Gischlar, K. L., & Missall, K. N. (2009). Improving child outcomes with databased decision making: Collecting data. Young Exceptional Children, 12(3), 32-44.
Lawton, K., & Kasari, C. (2012). Brief report: Longitudinal improvements in the quality of join
attention in preschool children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental
disorders, 42(2), 307-312.
Warreyn, P., & Roeyers, H. (2014). See what I see, do as I do: Promoting joint attention and
imitation in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 18(6), 658-671.
Wong, C. (2013). A play and joint attention intervention for teachers of young children with
autism: A randomized controlled pilot study. Autism, 17(3), 340-357.
Wong, C., and Kasari C. (2012) Play and joint attention of children with autism in the
preschool special education classroom. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
42(10), 2152-2161.