Joint attention and ASD

[Eveiebaby]

Hi - DD 3yrs 5 months is looking likely to receive a diagnosis of ASD shortly. Although I have felt for a long long time things have not been right assesments seems to be moving so very fast. Yesterday SLT mentioned DD's lack of joint attention. DD does perform so poorly at speech therapy sessions ie uses much more echolalia than usual and is so hard to get motivated and seems so much more distant and a totally different child. I do feel that I occasionally get joint attention from her although it has to be from an experience that really makes her happy or shocked eg if she sees something on TV she likes she will look from TV screen, to me, and back at TV again. Anyway I am really digressing - I just wondered if anybody had any tips for increasing her joint attention. Also, if there is even an extremely tiny amount of joint attention on an irregular basis can she still have ASD? I know I sound like a mother in denial but I'm not. I just want a diagnosis to be accurate.
She will be 3.6 when we hear diagnosis outcome and it just feels so young. NT kids change so much between 3-5 so what's do say that DD will not change?

My 3yo ds has just been diagnosed with mild/moderate ASD.

He has a very severe speech disorder(basically non verbal) but has good joint attention (also good eye contact, proto-declarative pointing, imitation, pretty sociable for someone who can't talk & no secondary features (sensory/motor/routine/obsessions etc), managing well in ms nursery & CM with no adaptations) but has still been diagnosed with an ASD (it is obvious according to the paed ) ... tbh I'm not sure there in any accuracy in any ASD diagnosis (call me cynical but here there are NO services for ASD so there is a very low threshold for diagnosis).

Sorry you're going through the stress of this - it sucks. I found the Hanen books Two to Talk & More Than Words far more useful than anything the SALTS have suggested.

Yes children with ASD can have periods of joint attention. DS1's joint attention can be brilliant when he is showing me something he likes (he is 10 years old, severely autistic). Floortime is a therapy that works a lot on joint attention - and does it pretty well. There are some other threads on here on Floortime.

If you feel as if you have to work hard to establish joint attention then that is not 'normal'. I hate that term- but I mean NT.

My ds is just 4, (mild asd), speech delay but improving, he can do long period of joint attention very well on things that interest him like cars and trains, books that interest him,... (his joint attention has improved a lot compared to when he was 2.)
On stuff he's not intersted in , it is harder to motivate him and the joint attention doesn't last more than a couple of minutes.

From what I understand ASD doesn't mean NO joint attention just any kind of impairment in joint attention.

Sympathies by the way, my DD is 3 and about to be diagnosed too.

Hi

Thanks for all your replies

Nothollyhunter - I agree with your point - is there any accuracy in ASD diagnosis? From info I have gathered it seems there certainly is inconsistancy in diagnosing. I have even heard (we are in Greater London) that what may be diagnosed as ASD in one borough may not in another! Which if true is shocking.

Saintdamemrsturnip - Thanks for the floortime link will have a look at it later.

Mysonben - my DD sounds a little like your DS in the fact that since she turned three it has been so hard to motivate her she just seems to follow me around the house all the time.

Fanjoforthemammaries - Thanks for mentioning impairment in joint attention - that would make more sense in my DD's case. Wishing you all the best with your DD.