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A student communicates, and half the room misses it.
This tool helps teams recognize and understand early, pre-symbolic communication so it can be supported consistently across people and settings.
What this is:
A structured assessment and observation tool focused on joint attention within the pre-symbolic stage of communication development.
Who this is for:
Speech-language pathologists
Special educators
Teams supporting individuals with complex communication needs
Anyone working with early or pre-symbolic communicators
What's included:
Overview of joint attention and why it predicts language outcomes
Observation and elicitation guidance
Flowchart for determining level
Skill checklist and partner facilitation hierarchy
Data collection tools
Team-friendly summary pages
Looking for more detail?
Here's a deeper look at how this tool works:
Is this person sharing attention with others, and does your whole team know how to recognize it when it happens?
Joint Attention is the third booklet in The Shared Map, a modular clinical mini-booklet series for assessing communication in individuals with complex communication needs. Joint attention, coordinating focus between a person, an object, and a communication partner, is one of the strongest developmental predictors of later language outcomes.
This booklet distinguishes between responding to joint attention (RJA) and initiating joint attention (IJA), and between declarative and imperative function, distinctions that change what you teach next. It walks through a five-step decision tree moving from social orienting through declarative initiating, with a note on motor access considerations.
What is inside:
Cover with client info, path map tracker, and notes space
Overview: why joint attention is the strongest developmental predictor of language outcomes, and how this booklet fits the Shared Map series
How to Observe: the three key distinctions (RJA, IJA, and declarative versus imperative function), plus a note on motor access
Observation Flowchart: five-step decision tree moving from social orienting through declarative initiating
Skill Checklist: 16 behaviors across the full developmental sequence from social orienting through declarative joint attention
Partner Facilitation Hierarchy (F0-F8): joint-attention-specific examples
Data Collection Sheet: tally, rating grid, and behavioral description formats
Progress Snapshot: team meeting- and hearing-ready with interpretation and signature block
Student Voice page
Family and Team Pull-Out: three panels for home, classroom, and team use
References and Bibliography: APA format
Print single-sided or double-sided.
Includes color and black-and-white versions.
Age range: all ages.
A student communicates, and half the room misses it.
This tool helps teams recognize and understand early, pre-symbolic communication so it can be supported consistently across people and settings.
What this is:
A structured assessment and observation tool focused on joint attention within the pre-symbolic stage of communication development.
Who this is for:
Speech-language pathologists
Special educators
Teams supporting individuals with complex communication needs
Anyone working with early or pre-symbolic communicators
What's included:
Overview of joint attention and why it predicts language outcomes
Observation and elicitation guidance
Flowchart for determining level
Skill checklist and partner facilitation hierarchy
Data collection tools
Team-friendly summary pages
Looking for more detail?
Here's a deeper look at how this tool works:
Is this person sharing attention with others, and does your whole team know how to recognize it when it happens?
Joint Attention is the third booklet in The Shared Map, a modular clinical mini-booklet series for assessing communication in individuals with complex communication needs. Joint attention, coordinating focus between a person, an object, and a communication partner, is one of the strongest developmental predictors of later language outcomes.
This booklet distinguishes between responding to joint attention (RJA) and initiating joint attention (IJA), and between declarative and imperative function, distinctions that change what you teach next. It walks through a five-step decision tree moving from social orienting through declarative initiating, with a note on motor access considerations.
What is inside:
Cover with client info, path map tracker, and notes space
Overview: why joint attention is the strongest developmental predictor of language outcomes, and how this booklet fits the Shared Map series
How to Observe: the three key distinctions (RJA, IJA, and declarative versus imperative function), plus a note on motor access
Observation Flowchart: five-step decision tree moving from social orienting through declarative initiating
Skill Checklist: 16 behaviors across the full developmental sequence from social orienting through declarative joint attention
Partner Facilitation Hierarchy (F0-F8): joint-attention-specific examples
Data Collection Sheet: tally, rating grid, and behavioral description formats
Progress Snapshot: team meeting- and hearing-ready with interpretation and signature block
Student Voice page
Family and Team Pull-Out: three panels for home, classroom, and team use
References and Bibliography: APA format
Print single-sided or double-sided.
Includes color and black-and-white versions.
Age range: all ages.