Purpose <p>This study aimed to identify core joint attention behaviors and examine their network structures and associations with autistic traits in school-aged children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).</p> Methods <p>A total of 183 children with ASD (mean age = 7.33 ± 1.11 years; 67.8% male) were recruited. Participants were assessed using the Childhood Joint Attention Rating Scale (C-JARS) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Network models of joint attention behaviors were estimated to identify central and bridge behaviors relating to core autistic traits.</p> Results <p>Network analysis revealed key behavioral dyads including sharing interests with cooperative digital play, and conversational engagement paired with gaze aversion during requests. Central hub behaviors such as helping others, hyperfocus on inanimate objects, and recalling shared positive experiences showed the highest influence within the joint attention network. Gaze avoidance and lack of shared interest were less central. Bridge analysis demonstrated that imitation and relating to people had strong negative associations with joint attention difficulties, suggesting that greater joint attention corresponds to lower severity of certain autistic traits.</p> Conclusion <p>The findings highlight distinct joint attention profiles in children with ASD and underscore imitation as a critical intervention target to improve social communication. This network-based approach offers nuanced insights into social communication deficits and supports the development of tailored therapeutic strategies for ASD.</p>