Can eye contact get worse??

[Tylers-mum]

I've noticed lately that T's eye contact is getting wayyyy worse! He has filtering eye contact anyway but recently it's like he's struggling just to look at me, his face is facing me but his eyes are looking anywhere but at me!!

 

Is it cruel to force him to look at me?? By this I mean, move his face to look at me?? Having said that though, his face is looking at me, it's just his eyes that aren't!!

Edited October 24, 2005 by Tylers-mum

[littlenemo]

Can it get worse? Yes, especially when stressed. I get far worse when stressed, which is why I'm a disaster in interviews.

Has T been having a hard time at school lately, or lots of changes? (Zemanski says he's just started, which could well explain it). It should improve when/if he gets more used to the new routine.

 

As for forcing him to look at you, it will almost certainly increase the anxiety and make the problem worse.

 

For more info on eye contact, take a look at the 'Research' thread in General Discussion.

 

nemo

[Tylers-mum]

Thanks littlenemo. Will check out that thread now. Just wanted to add that T doesn't really show he's stressed. His LSA at school left on Friday and he didn't show any emotions etc so dunno if he's building it up. I ask him about it and he doesn't want to talk but other than that, he seems the same ol' Tyler!!

 

If anything, I am the one that's stressed!! Maybe he can sense it, i dunno!!

[littlenemo]

That's why AS is sometimes called the 'Jeckyll and Hyde' syndrome. Stress in one area can show up somewhere else entirely, with no obvious connection.

 

If he doesn't want to talk about it, it may be that he's still coming to terms with the change, and you may not see any obvious reaction before he's had a few days with his new LSA.

Don't stress yourself -if/when it comes to the surface will be the time to deal with it (or once he's calmed down if it's an explosive meltdown).[sorry - badly put, but i suspect you know what i mean]

 

nemo

[Suze]

My son had a particularly bad year at shool, during this time his eye contact was terrible, he looked at the floor all the time, it was especially bad at school.This all happened during DX, he is much improved now and looks at me all the time when we talk. Of course he now leaps about and is moving alot when he does this aswell , but this pleases me as he obviously isn,t as stressed as he was back then.

[lil_me]

My sons eye contact is sometimes fantastic, we worked on it with him for a long time but sometimes you don't even get looked at never mind eye contact for months

[Tylers-mum]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies. Thank You!!

 

littlenemo - I am certainly expecting a huge meltdown once he's realised his LSA (regular) is not coming back. I honestly don't think he's fully understood this eyt until he actually see's she isn't no longer there! KWIM?? Then it's gonna be hell for the school and me!

I'll see him through it though!

[KarenT]

J has never had problems with eye contact at home, but last year at school his teachers were always on about how he couldn't make eye contact with them. My guess is that he's trying so hard to conform while at school that it's a step too far for him. Not sure how he is with that now in Y2, they don't tell me much

 

Karen

x

[ceecee]

Hi all

would definately say eye contact lack of it i mean gets worst when someone is stressed.I have mild aspergers but no probs with eye contact whatso ever.I did ask my husband on this one to check!!

Edited December 3, 2005 by ceecee