01/22/2025
💡💡Did you know that just because an Autistic child isn’t looking at you doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention!?💡💡
According to a study done by Gernsbacher et al 2008, Autistic children display joint attention differently than neurotypical children in the following ways:
1. They demonstrate excellent “covert attention”meaning they may be paying attention without directly looking at the item of focus or directing their body to the item of focus.
2. Their bids for joint attention may look different than a neurotypical child. Due to the motor coordination demands involved in pointing, Autistic children may not bid for your attention by pointing. Instead, they may grab your hand or pull you towards an object.
3. Autistic children are more likely to resist distraction. Usually we see this as a negative concept (e.g., they don’t respond to me when I call their name!), but a recent study (Landry and Bryson 2004) showed that Autistic children display increased task persistence and resist being distracted when compared to neurotypical children.
4. Autistic children may have difficulty executing volitional action due to dyspraxia. In neurotypical children, we often see “the eyes leading the head” vs we may see “the head leading the eyes” in Autistic children. To vertically lift one’s head to follow a gaze or point requires complex cortical and subcortical collaboration.
Did any of this surprise you!?
How does this impact your understanding of engaging with Autistic children?
Comment below!!! ⬇️⬇️
Sources:
Landry R, Bryson SE. Impaired disengagement of attention in young children with autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;45(6):1115-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00304.x. PMID: 15257668.
Gernsbacher, M. A., Stevenson, J. L., Khandakar, S., & Goldsmith, H. H. (2008). Why Does Joint Attention Look Atypical in Autism?. Child development perspectives, 2(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00039.x
