How to Teach an Autistic Child to Point

Pointing looks like such a small gesture, but it carries a lot of communicative weight — it's one of the earliest ways children show what they want and what they're interested in, well before most words appear. When pointing doesn't develop on its own, it can be taught directly, using the same structured, prompt-and-fade approach used for other communication skills.

Why Pointing Matters Developmentally

Pointing typically emerges as one of the first intentional communicative gestures, and it serves as a foundation for two important skills: getting a need met (requesting) and connecting with another person around a shared interest (joint attention). Both of these skills support later language development, so building pointing explicitly — even when it hasn't appeared naturally — can open up broader communicative progress.

Two Types of Pointing to Teach

Requesting point is usually the easier starting point because the motivation is built in — the child points, and gets the item they wanted. Joint attention point is more socially complex because the "reward" is a shared moment rather than an object, which can take longer to build interest in.

Setting Up for Success

Before starting formal teaching, set the stage to make success likely:

• Choose 2–3 highly motivating items your child clearly wants — favourite snacks, toys, or activities work best
• Place items slightly out of reach but in clear view, so there's a genuine reason to communicate
• Pick calm, low-distraction moments for practice — not when your child is already frustrated or tired
• Keep initial sessions short — a handful of repetitions, several times a day, works better than one long session

The Step-by-Step Teaching Sequence

At each stage, wait a few seconds to give your child a chance to attempt the point before providing the prompt — this "wait time" is what allows the skill to gradually transfer from prompted to independent. Reward every attempt immediately by giving the requested item and saying the item's name warmly: "You pointed! Here's your [item]."

Teaching Joint Attention Pointing

Once requesting point is reliable, joint attention point can be introduced through everyday shared moments:

1. Point at something genuinely interesting — a dog outside the window, an aeroplane overhead — and say "Look!" with enthusiasm
2. Physically guide your child's point toward the same object if they don't spontaneously follow your point
3. React with shared excitement when your child looks or points, even briefly — this is the "reward" for joint attention
4. Practise during naturally interesting moments rather than only in structured sessions — a passing dog is more motivating than a planned exercise

Joint attention pointing connects closely with broader social communication goals covered in our guide to communication and behaviour support, since it forms an early foundation for later back-and-forth social interaction.

Practising Pointing in Everyday Moments

Embedding practice into daily moments — rather than only formal teaching sessions — tends to generalise the skill faster, and pairs well with the structure of a broader predictable daily routine.

Common Obstacles and How to Work Through Them

• Child pulls your hand to the item instead of pointing. Gently guide their own hand into a point shape rather than fulfilling the request via hand-pulling, so the pointing gesture itself gets practised.
• Progress feels inconsistent. This is normal in early skill-building — track successes over a week rather than judging day to day.
• Child points but doesn't look at the item or person. This can develop over time with continued practice; the pointing motion itself is still valuable progress worth reinforcing.
• Motivation seems low. Revisit your item selection — even highly preferred items can lose value if used too repetitively; rotate a varied pool.

Frequently Asked Questions