The effect of least-to-most prompting on teaching initiating joint attention to children with autism spectrum disorder

Joint attention refers to the ability to coordinate attention with others towards a common focus, such as a person, object, or event. This involves both the ability to direct attention toward a target and the ability to share attention with another person. Initiation of joint attention involves the ability to signal to others that one wants to share attention, and it is considered a foundational skill for the development of social communication and language. A multiple baseline design between participants was used to examine the effectiveness of using the least-to-most prompting procedure to teach initiating joint attention to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study involved three participants with ASD aged 5-7 years, and social validity data were obtained by comparing the pre-and post-teaching performances of the participants and their typically developing peers. The results showed that the least-to-most prompting procedure was successful in improving joint attention initiation behaviors in children with ASD, and these gains were maintained for up to four weeks after the intervention. Furthermore, the social validity data demonstrated that the children with ASD were able to perform at a similar level to their typically developing peers after receiving this instruction. Overall, the study highlights the potential benefits of the least-to-most prompting procedure for promoting social communication and interaction in children with ASD.