In developmental psychology, joint attention skills should be targeted for increase for those individuals who:

• A. prefer solitary play but have no issues with social communication
• B. have difficulty coordinating attention with others to share focus on objects or events
• C. show typical development of theory of mind and empathy
• D. demonstrate advanced language and social communication abilities

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of joint attention in developmental psychology. Joint attention refers to the ability to coordinate attention with another person to share focus on an object or event, which is foundational for social and communication development.
2. Step 2: Identify the characteristics of individuals who would benefit from increasing joint attention skills. These are typically individuals who have difficulty coordinating their attention with others, even if other social communication skills are intact.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option given in the problem: those who prefer solitary play but have no social communication issues, those who have difficulty coordinating attention, those with typical theory of mind and empathy, and those with advanced language and social communication abilities.
4. Step 4: Recognize that individuals who have difficulty coordinating attention with others to share focus on objects or events are the ones who specifically need targeted intervention to improve joint attention skills.
5. Step 5: Conclude that targeting joint attention skills is most appropriate for individuals who struggle with coordinating attention, as this skill is crucial for effective social interaction and communication development.