May
Is there a difference with eye contact between autism and asperger's?
Answer:
My son with Asperger's has difficulty focusing on what’s being stated when he has to look at the person at the same time.
This is part of an excerpt from Freaks, Geeks and Asperger syndrome by 13 year-old Luke Jackson:
“When I look someone straight in the eye, particularly someone I’m not familiar with, the feeling is so uncomfortable that I cannot really describe it. First of all I feel as if their eyes are burning me and I really feel as if I am looking into the face of an alien. I know this sounds rude but I am telling it how it is. If I get past that stage and don't look away, then whilst someone is speaking I find myself staring really hard and looking at their features and totally forgetting to listen to what they are saying. Mum says when I was little I used to go right up to people and stare in their faces. They probably looked funny — I often have to cease myself from giggling when I analyze people's faces; there are some very strange ones around!
Sometimes it is too hard to concentrate on listening and looking at the same time. People are hard enough to understand as their words are often so very cryptic, but when their faces are moving around, their eyebrows rising and falling and their eyes getting wider then squinting, I can’t fathom all that out in one go, so to be honest I don't even try.”
You can read the rest of the excerpt here: http://specialchildren.about.com/od/aspe…
The issue with eye contact is one symptom that appears across the board in autism spectrum disorders. Forcing eye contact can cause sensory overload and anxiety in kids with Autistic Disorder and with Asperger's Disorder.
Answer:
My friend is doing early childhood studies and I asked her this question before. She states that in Asperger's they can make eye contact they just don't see the point of it. In autism they generally don't make eye contact, it seems to make them uncomfortable.