Three groups of 12-month-old infants (10 deaf infants with hearing parents, 10 deaf infants with deaf parents, and 10 hearing infants with hearing parents) were videotaped during free play with mothers. Infant attention state was coded, identifying periods as: (1) unengaged, (2) onlooking, (3) object-attend, (4) person-attend, (5) supported joint attention, or (6) coordinated joint attention. Episodes of coordinated joint attention represent periods during which infants coordinate their attention between social partners and objects. Results indicated that deaf infants with hearing parents lagged behind the other two groups in demonstrating coordinated joint attention, suggesting that adults experienced with communication in the infants' primary modality promote the infants' development of attending behaviors. Similarity between the pattern of attention states shown by the two groups of infants whose parents share their children's hearing status suggests that audition has no unique role in the development of patterns of visual attention. (Author)