Encouraging Eye Contact: What NOT to Do

Photo: artistshelpingchildren.org

One of the most upsetting things I observed during my time as an ABA therapist was the common practice of manually turning a child's head to encourage eye contact. In many cases it caused meltdowns & fear. In other cases, the child would just simply close their eyes tightly. It never did make much sense to me how forcing a child to look at you would somehow cause "spontaneous engagement." In fact, it caused the child to avoid the teachers that did this regularly.

There is already an imbalance of power between a child and an adult-and a student and a teacher/therapist- and I have always found this practice to be more about the adult's /therapist's needs than the child's. Its more like an intimidation technique rather than something done for the child's "own good" . The child knows you are not their "partner" if you are always trying to get compliance by using positive and negative re-enforcement. Naturally, they will at some point resist, to try and take back some of the power that has been taken from them, as they should. Besides, isn't it more logical & healthy to cause spontaneous engagement by being more engaging?

Well there is now a new study out of England that explains why we should NOT force eye contact on our students. I came across this article (link below) this morning and I am posting it here because I think its extremely important to understand that children are not (usually) intending to be willfully non-compliant, rude or all of those things that they tell a new ABA therapist or Para-professional. There is a reason that they are not looking at you, and the reason makes perfect sense. (Thank you Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, associate dean at Northumbria University in England.)

When a child's senses are overloaded, they need to filter out some of the input they are receiving. Since visual input takes up about 80% of our brain power, it makes logical (and neurological) sense that a child would attempt to block out that input in order to listen to you better.

In listening to better, they can then think about what the input is (such as an instruction or question) process it, and formulate a response. This process may take longer in children with sensory & learning challenges-(much like "dial-up" instead of "high-speed internet") so you need to wait for a response.

I was always taught that 7 seconds was appropriate for a response-however I really disagree with that time frame and think a child should be given more time to process if they need it. Everyone is unique-and all of our "programming" is different-and interrupting that process by placing a time limit on when they should respond, in my opinion, is absolutely ridiculous. We only do it because we've been doing it for so long. We need to change it if we truly want the kids that have the capacity for it, to be more independent. Maybe this research is a step in the right direction. (I have to add here that while I am not a therapist, I have worked with children with autism & other special needs since I was 14, and this is the common sense evidence that I have personally observed over the last 34 years.)

Its interesting to note that neuro-typical children (and adults) avoid eye contact when thinking too. How would you feel if someone grabbed your face and turned your head to face them when you were thinking of a response or taking notes during a staff meeting or workshop?

Its definitely something to think about.

Encouraging Eye Contact Disturbs Autistic Kids' Thinking



Recommended Reading:

The Way I see it: A Personal Look at Autism & Asperger's (Temple Grandin)

(Expanded Edition) In this innovative book, Dr. Temple Grandin gets down to the REAL issues of autism, the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. She offers first-hand knowledge, helpful do’s and don’ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her own perspective and a great deal of research. These are just some of the topics Dr. Grandin discusses:

• How and Why People with Autism Think Differently
• Economical Early Intervention Programs that Work
• How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Learning
• Behaviors Caused by a Disability vs. Just Bad Behaviors 
• The Role of Genetics and Environmental Factors in Causing Autism
• Understanding the Mind of a Nonverbal Person with Autism
• Finding Mentors and Appropriate Colleges
• More!

Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com


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