Comments on: How to Establish Eye Contact in Children with Autism

on 2/24/2008 Great article! I have a nephew with autism so this is going to be very helpful. Can't wait to try it.

on 2/11/2008 Very nice article! A bit wordy, but this was helpful for me as someone who hasn't had any experience with an austistic child.

on 2/10/2008 I also want to add that there is more than one way to achieve something and many parents and families have achieved success through the method above.

I also suggest that when it comes to making eye contact there are other ways which may also enable the child to find joy in personal relationships and interaction, which for some kiddos with Autism is a major goal.

on 2/9/2008 I have to say, although this may be effective in "training" kids with Autism to look at someone in the face. A much more effective method would be to actually motivate the child to find pleasure in personal interactions such as making eye contact and smiling.

Ways to this would be also to find toys/activities which motivivate the child and to put yourself at eye level and share in their enjoyment. For example, if he/she is playing by himself with blocks. Make yourself part of the interaction by handing the child the block, putting the block on top, making a joke by picking the wrong color block, or holding your hand up to your face with the block and slowly opening it and giving it to them. One would be surprised how quickly a child with Autism can learn that making relationships and "eye contact" is rewarding in itself.

on 2/9/2008 This is great. My child is High Functioning, so I do not have as huge problem getting her to look at me, it's the keeping her focused. I'll try your suggestions to see if I can find more progress. Thanks!