eye contact

[AdultAspie69]

Very interesting for me, I've heard people finding eye contact with others difficult, but this is the first instance that I'm aware of, of someone finding eye contact with their own reflection difficult.

I also have trouble watching videos/photos of people looking into the camera, or have close-ups of people's eyes. As a kid I couldn't have posters on my walls of people and I didn't like stuffed animals or action figures. I felt really creeped out by them. I think it's called Scopophobia.

 

[BrokenNeedle]

I also have trouble watching videos/photos of people looking into the camera, or have close-ups of people's eyes.

Sometimes when I'm playing a VR game and a character is standing in front of me and talking to me, I've occasionally caught myself avoiding eye contact.

Like most of you I've struggled with making eye contact for as long as I can remember. I recall once in kindergarten the principal asking me why I don't look him in the eyes while he's talking to me. I didn't have an answer for that. Fast forward years later in high school and one of my teachers asked me in front of the class "how do you expect to get a job anywhere if you can't look at people when they're talking to you?" and again I didn't have an answer. I wasn't diagnosed until several years later.

I can't make eye contact naturally even when talking with close family members, but recently I do try to force myself to make eye contact when speaking with doctors, though from their perspective I don't know if they can tell that I'm forcing myself to do it.

 

[Mush]

If it's okay to ask, has anyone ever commented on this? Maybe asked you to make eye contact?

No one has mentioned it. I tend to move my eyes about a lot when I’m talking. I’ll look out in the distance, back at their face. Mostly stare at their mouth as it helps me process what they’re saying.

 

[Soleil]

Eye contact isn't painful for me like it is for some, but it is super uncomfortable, almost like staring or invading my personal space. When talking to people, I tend to look at their lips, which helps me understand what they're saying. Though with masks, I can't do that anymore. If I'm giving directions or explaining where something is (especially at work) then I tend to look in that direction. But in most cases, I tend to look around the room kind of randomly.

If I'm video chatting with a friend, then I usually look around either behind my screen, maybe out my window, or I look around his room. It's all without thinking, though. If I try, and I have a stim toy like a fidget spinner or a plushie, then I have an easier time watching the screen, but even then I don't look at his face much.

One problem I have though, is that my friend is deaf, and I'm hard of hearing. And while I know some ASL (American Sign Language), eye contact is a big part of communication with the deaf. I've always wondered how deaf autistics deal with this. I suppose you can just sort of stare at their face to track things like facial expression, and not look directly at their eyes. But even then, focusing my attention on one spot is difficult.