“When {child_name} wants your attention — looking at you for praise or calling out 'look!' — does {he_she} wait for your response and then carry on the back-and-forth?”
Follow-up: “Does a little exchange usually run for several turns, or fizzle out quickly?”
Not yet
No clear back-and-forth yet
Emerging
One or two turns before {he_she} moves on
Developing
Three or four turns of give-and-take
Secure
Sustained exchanges — eye contact, gestures, or words — across many turns
Back-and-forth moments build more of the brain than almost anything else you can do at this age.