An Intervention Study on Children's Healthy Joint Attention Skills Based on a Mixed Instructional Approach of DTT and PRT.

This study looked at whether combining two teaching methods (DTT and PRT) could help autistic children improve their joint attention skills - things like making eye contact, following directions, and showing objects to others. Two preschool children took part, and both showed better joint attention skills after the teaching program. Joint attention is important for communication and social skills development.

This single-subject study investigated whether combining Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) and Pivotal Response Training (PRT) could improve joint attention skills in children with autism. Two preschool children participated in the intervention targeting three joint attention behaviors: eye gaze, following directions, and active display. The study used a cross-behavioral multiple baseline design to evaluate effectiveness. Results showed significant improvements in all three targeted joint attention skills following the combined DTT/PRT intervention.

Joint attention is recognized as a core deficit in autism and fundamental for early communication and social development.

Combining DTT and PRT approaches may be beneficial for targeting joint attention skills in young autistic children. However, larger controlled studies are needed to establish effectiveness. Clinicians should consider this as a preliminary approach requiring further validation.

Very small sample size (n=2) limits generalizability. Single-subject design provides limited evidence compared to controlled trials. No long-term follow-up data reported. Lack of control group makes it difficult to determine intervention-specific effects.

Joint attention is an important element that influences children's early development of communication and sociality, and joint attention is more often than not the earliest incipient of their prosocial behavior. Joint attention skills are one of the core deficits of children with autism, and identifying and remediating the core problems of autism is a popular area of interest, with joint attention being the focus of attention. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combined orientation model of Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) and Pivotal Response Training (PRT) could improve the joint attention skills of children with autism. This study used a cross-behavioral multitest design in a single-subject study with two preschool children with autism as subjects, with the independent variable being joint attention teaching and the dependent variable being the three joint attention skills (eye gaze, following directions, and active display).

After the instructional intervention, children with autism showed a significant increase in the correctness of "eye alternation," "following directions," and "moving displays."