Joint attention typically develops around what age?

Joint attention is a vital social-communicative milestone that involves the ability to share focus on an object or event with another person, which typically signifies an early stage of social interaction and engagement. This developmental skill allows infants to engage in social referencing, following the gaze or pointing of an adult, and it plays a significant role in language development and social skills.

The emergence of joint attention usually begins around 9 months of age. At this age, infants start to actively seek interactions with others and show interest in what others are looking at or talking about. They may look back and forth between a person and an object, indicating awareness of shared attention. This aligns with the typical range for developing social reciprocity, where the infant begins to understand social cues and engage with caregivers more meaningfully.

By 12 months, joint attention skills become more refined and are often accompanied by the use of gestures such as pointing or reaching, which further enhances communication exchange. Thus, selecting 9 months as the correct age for the onset of joint attention accurately reflects the understanding of when infants typically begin to exhibit this important developmental milestone.