Brief Report: Analysis of the Relationship Between Turn Taking and Joint Attention for Toddlers with Autism.

Lee et al. (2020) watched 61 toddlers with autism play with a caregiver. They counted how often the child took a conversational turn. They also scored how often the child shared joint attention.

The team used simple toys and everyday talk. No extra training was given. They just recorded what happened.

Kids who took more turns also showed more joint attention. The link was positive and clear. Better turn taking went hand in hand with better shared looking and pointing.

Lee et al. (2022) ran a follow-up study. They found only social turn taking predicted later joint attention. Nonsocial turns did not. The 2020 paper set the stage for this finer point.

Subramaniam et al. (2023) looked at autistic and neurotypical toddlers. They saw lower joint attention in the autism group. That seems opposite, but it is not. The 2020 study stayed inside the autism group and found a range. The 2023 study compared groups and found a gap. Both can be true.

Freeman et al. (2015) tracked the same kids for five years. Stronger joint attention at age 3 forecast closer friendships at age 8. The 2020 finding hints that boosting turn taking now might improve joint attention now and friendships later.

If turn taking and joint attention grow together, you can work on both at once. Start simple play routines that need a clear back-and-forth. Roll a car, wait, then prompt the child to roll it back. Each turn is a chance to look, point, and share. More turns today could mean more shared looks tomorrow.