Naturalistic Intervention

With toddlers, being at their level often means that the interventions may have to lie or sit on the floor while the child is on the floor or couch to share face-to-face interactions. This kind of positioning facilitates shared attention, which is crucial to the interactions.

For toddlers who avoid eye contact, it may be necessary for the interventionist to maneuver her own body to interrupt the toddler’s eye gaze. That is, if the child is looking toward the clock while playing with a koosh ball, the interventionist may need to put her own face in the line of the clock to encourage eye contact and establish shared attention. However, if a toddler finds eye contact unpleasant and is actively avoiding eye contact, it may be best to engage the toddler in an interaction without insisting upon eye contact.