Joint attention is the ability to coordinate attention with another person toward a shared object or event. It emerges around 9-12 months and involves both responding to others' attention bids (following gaze, following points) and initiating attention sharing (pointing at objects for others to see, showing objects). Joint attention is a uniquely human capacity that plays a crucial role in language acquisition, social learning, and the development of theory of mind.
Importance for Development
Joint attention at 12 months is one of the strongest predictors of later language development. During joint attention episodes, infants learn new words rapidly because the shared focus reduces referential ambiguity — when both partners are looking at the same object and the adult labels it, the infant can map the word to the correct referent. Joint attention also supports social learning more broadly, enabling cultural transmission of knowledge through shared focus and demonstration.
Deficits in joint attention are among the earliest and most reliable indicators of autism spectrum disorder. Children with autism show reduced gaze following, reduced pointing to share interest (declarative pointing), and reduced response to joint attention bids. These deficits may cascade to impair language acquisition and theory of mind development, suggesting that joint attention is a foundational social-cognitive skill upon which later development builds.