Joint Attention in Autism: Why It Looks Different & How to Support It (Free Strategies Guide)
- Staci Neustadt
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
When most people hear the term “joint attention in autism,” they picture a child looking at an adult, following a point, or sharing a toy. In early intervention and autism therapy, it’s often treated as a skill to teach—with prompts, drills, and goals like “increase joint attention by 50%.”
But here’s the truth autistic retired Occupational Therapist Susan Golubock wants you to know:💡 Joint attention in autistic children isn’t missing—it’s different.
And when we try to force it to look like the neurotypical version, we risk creating stress instead of connection.
What Most People Miss About Joint Attention
Joint attention is a shared focus between two people—and it’s often seen as a foundation for language, social interaction, and learning.
For neurotypical children, it might look like pointing to a bird and checking for your reaction. But for autistic children, sensory differences, processing styles, and motivations change how this skill develops and how it’s expressed.
The challenge? Many well-meaning adults still expect autistic children to show joint attention the same way neurotypical children do—and miss the signs that it’s already happening in a different form.
The Shift That Changes Everything
Susan says something in this week’s video that is a good reminder about relationships:
“If you have no interest in me, why should I have an interest in you?”
It’s the golden ticket to understanding how to support joint attention without forcing it—but it requires rethinking what “shared focus” looks like in the first place.
The full story, with examples you can try at home or in therapy, is in our conversation below. And trust me—once you hear Susan explain it from the autistic perspective, you won’t see joint attention the same way again.
Get the Free Joint Attention Strategies Guide
Want strategies you can start using right away?
Inside, you’ll get:
Ways to spot joint attention even when it doesn’t look typical
Play ideas that build connection first so attention naturally follows
Tips for creating positive shared focus moments without stress or pressure
🎥 Watch the full video below