ABSTRACT

The communication develops even before a child is born; in the womb babies are becoming familiar with the native language spoken in the environment. From soon after birth babies develop their sociocognitive skills, receptive language, and expressive language. Speech language therapists often talk about joint attention as a key part of communication and social interaction development. Joint attention relates to the ability to share a focus of attention with someone else. Joint attention is also important for learning new words and giving meaning to objects. The Attention Autism programme is an extremely helpful approach in providing practical ideas to develop joint and shared attention and early communication skills. Pausing is a powerful way to support communication. This is especially important for children with limited communication skills. Imitation is a key part of an approach called intensive interaction that is frequently used with children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.