Eye Contact (ASD) ??

breezy0629

Re: Eye ContactI get so confused at what the defining terms are for a lack of or inappropriate eye contact. DS (ASD) is 2 & my first. I don't really know what appropriate eye contact is - so i never know if what I'm asking of him is appropriate for ANY 2 year old. Can anyone help me clear this up?He does engage in eye contact with us (imm. family), in play or on his own terms, in passing, when someone walks in the room (sometimes). However, it does not seem 'typical' to my standards because it is quick, doesn't engage at appropriate times, like while Im talking TO him. But he clearly looks at us and his sister and others at TIMES. I guess what I mean is that he DOES look at people, just not IN their eyes and especially CAN'T do it when you are on his level looking at him talking, discipline, playing a game, etc. Does looking AT someone (not at their eyes) count as eye contact?Specifically, when I'm trying to talk to him and he LOOKS preoccupied, or is singing, or not listening I say to him 'Look at my eyes' while I point to them. He looks for about .1 of a second and looks away. I never FORCE him to look, becuase I don't know if he's capable and I don't want to frustrate him further.  He has never held a gaze into my eyes. But, I can't say that many people have.This is why it confuses me.TIA!  

breezy0629

They've all commented that his eye contact is really good. I don't think they mean 'typical' by that comment, but not something they need to really focus on at 2.5 yrs. 

I put the picture, because I've never thought about picture taking as an issue.  I guess it looks like he's doing ok looking at dad!

He gets SLP, OT, Developmental (which i dont think many people call it, but she combines floortime, aba, etc.. to taylor for each child), and TEACCH. 

 

cranberry27

The end of your post makes me feel like it is disordered. ?It sounds like you feel this way as well, so I would question your clinicians more specifically. ?Is his eye contact good for a child with ASD, or is it truly typical? ?Not that you necessarily want to work on it, you just want to have a measure. ?They are the best to give you their assessment.

I work on eye contact if the parent wants to and the child doesn't seem to hate it. ?Like you said, there are times when it really helps attention, so I often find working towards it worthwhile. ?

To me there are two parts; initiating eye contact and sustaining eye contact. ?I often have a child who will do what I call "eye checks," where you get a quick glance, but not a hold. ?

Even if it's not a current therapy concern, you might be able to use some of my typical tricks to test things out. ?I will tap my nose to get their gaze centered on my face without staring them down and see how long it lasts. ?I might also hold an object of interest next to my face - if the child was previously holding his gaze on the object, but can't when it's next to my face, that is an indicator to me. ?

I also will do a physical activity that has "1,2 3, go" involved, like going down a slide, pushing on a swing, jumping on a trampoline, or even picking up and twirling around - anything where they need you to perform an action involving their body. ?I will tap my nose to get their attention towards my face, then start counting. ?When they look away, I stop counting. ?They usually realize pretty quickly that in order to get me all the way to "go," they have to keep looking! ?I count fast at first, and stretch it out to extend the time of eye gaze. ?As long as their gaze is generally at my face I'm ok....it doesn't have to be a stare!

Hope this is helpful. ?It sounds like it's not an active problem. ?If it were, you would probably not be on the fence. ?But still, it is nice to feel like you have an accurate understanding of your child's skills.

breezy0629

Thanks a lot!! Yeah, I try to be proactive - knowing that I'm the one who cares, in the end. It was just a confusing subject to me & I feel like I am poking a moving horse if I ask TOO many so specific questions in therapy.

DT has trained in a lot of areas. She does not use any one method specifically, and I do not know if she is certified in ABA. She just told me that she likes to incorporate things from them all - depending on the need.

 *cranberry27* I love your suggestions. When I want DS attention, I actually DO tap my nose instead of my eyes. I have no idea where I picked that up, but I can already answer the first part of your tactic. The second part - I will investigate as I am curious.  But, when I say 'look at my eyes' and tap my nose he will either glaze past my eyes or hold for a millisecond - uncountable before turning away. Then, more likely if you DONT tell him specifically to look at your eyes, he holds an odd body position with his head cocked sideways, but his body facing front. 

Today I asked him to look in my eyes and he came at me with a glare - about .5" from my face, but still wouldn't look me in the eye. He tries.

All this information, if nothing else, is helpful just for my understanding! Thanks so much!! 

breezy0629

Preschool:

I forgot you asked this. Yes, we are going to do preschool at 3. It was not my original intent (inutero - but none of this was), but I think if nothing else, he needs the social interactions.

I am looking at an integrated program. It is 1/2 SN and 1/2 typical students. I am not sure what the ratio of specific needs are, but my point in looking for an integrated program is so that he does get that typical social interaction - but the teacher is trained to understand what the issues are. He can be passed over very easily b/c he is so passive.

The particular program I am hoping for is run by all DT's. That sounds good to me.

Any advice? 

breezy0629

*cranberry*

what do you do? you seem full of useful info and just curious what your specific field is in.