AbstractA lack of joint attention skills may represent the core impairment in autism. In the present study, a training protocol was developed, based on the literature on joint attention and on behavioral interventions. The training was organized into a sequence of three main parts respectively aimed at establishing each of the following skills: (1) responding to attention bids, (2) engaging in turn-taking activities based on joint attention skills, and (3) initiating joint attention. In the present study there were introduced new components to the training, not documented empirically before, (a) establishing the adult as a generalized reinforcer and (b) implemented tasks based on turn-taking, were joint attention skills were targeted and reinforced. The study was conducted according to a single-subject experimental design, in which joint attention skills were measured before and after intervention, using the "Behavioral Assessment of Joint Attention". Four 3,5 to 5,5 year-old children diagnosed with autism participated in the study. All four children completed the training successfully and made significant progress in engaging in joint attention and in initiating joint attention skills. Following the completion of training and at 1-month follow up, parents reported that their children used their skills in different settings. Moreover, at follow up, all four children were reported to engage in joint attention behaviors and showing degrees of enjoyment when doing so.
Keywords: Autism, joint attention, joint attention training, applied behavior analysis, social behavior.