Construction of a Tool for Assessment of Joint Attention in Egyptian Cairene Children

Abstract

oint attention (JA) is the coordinated orientation of 2 people towards an object or event. Joint attention behaviors involve the social coordination of one’s own attention with that of another person to better adopt a common point of reference and share information. These behaviors begin to emerge in the first 6 months of life, arguably the most dynamic and important period of early child development. From infancy through adulthood, joint attention is one of the most important skills in human social cognition. In joint attention we focus on things together with others. Thus, joint attention allows us to share experiences about the world with others, to coordinate our thoughts and behaviors, and to cooperate successfully with others. It provides a foundation for early language development and social competence and facilitates social learning. Individuals who lack the skills to follow and share attention with others have significant difficulties in relating to other people and sustaining relationship. The aim of this work was to construct an objective tool of assessment of joint attention skills in young Egyptian children to be used as an early detector of the presence of autistic behaviors in at risk children in order to guide plans for early intervention.