Good input. AS ppl tend to not look ppl in the eye. I have a friend who thinks he has AS and he doesn't look me in the eye. He said it is "because it is too intimate." He doesn't like ppl. nor likes to be around ppl. For those who like ppl. and wish to learn social skills I would agree. One needs to look at and around the eyes of another person and look off to the side a tad here and there. Another thing is to show an interest in the other person. Ask questions about what they are interested in. Find a common topic and talk back and forth about it. Never talk at a person. Less is more. Hope this helps ppl who have AS or know someone who has AS.

eye contact is too intimate. Some peoples' gaze is too intense, geez.

First grade teacher told mother she thought I was lying all the time because I didnt make eye contact. My mother said, "he never does" This was probably 1987. I want diagnosed until 2010.

My mother taught me to make eye contact by telling me she would think I was lying if I didn't. The fact that I was really afraid of her is probably the big facilitator. So I probably make too much eye contact in a situation where I feel like I need to convince someone I'm not lying or when I have to lie to them.

I'm really self-conscious about eye contact now to the point where it's just silly.

personally instead of looking some one in the eyes I eather look past them or @ another part of the face. thats what works for me tho.

MEH

For me it isn't really an issue of intimacy. It's just that when someone is looking at me and I decide to look at them in the eyes, I get this overwhelming feeling of discomfort. It's as if someone has shined a spotlight in my face, and everything I do and say is suddenly under intense scrutiny. It's the same kind of discomfort that a person on some cop drama feels when they're being questioned and have the light shining on their face. I'm sure you've seen these shows before. It's like an x-ray into all my personal thoughts and feelings, things that I don't want anyone to know about. Certainly not with someone that I'm forced to engage in small talk with.

The last posting #5 sounds like the man that I know who has AS symptoms. I don't have AS but oddly have had improper eye contact because I didn't know when and how to look at ppl. in the eye. I didn't even know that I was doing it. Now that I am aware of the eye contact thing I need to work on when and how to have proper eye contact.

I do not have AS but I have never been able to look people directly in the eye and when I try, I get this weird sensation. I don't want to call it literal pain but its this uncomfortable physical sensation, I wonder what that is? Anyway, I have always looked at the persons mouth when they talk to me and they never seem to notice. My mind then starts to travel during a conversation at times as to whether or not they realize I am looking at their mouth instead of their eyes lol. So, I can read facial expressions fine by just looking at thier lips or other parts of their face as they talk rather than their eyes. it's too uncomfortable, eyes are the "window of the soul" they say and that is VERY intimate!

It's tough, one thing that helped me was I wore contacts for years and then switched to glasses. With glasses on I feel more confident about making eye contact, like there's some kind of shield blocking the intimacy involved with it. I'm now starting to wear contacts again, and have found I can maintain eye contact for short periods of time before having to look down or look away somewhere, longer than I use to anyways.

Sunglasses help me. Not exactly practical for indoors, but when I'm outside it always helps.

yeah i like sunglasses when they prevent people from seeing my eyes. plus i am very sensitive to sunlight.

i may have neglected to mention that i use the "looking at face without focusing in an attempt to fool the other person" method

My husband has a really tough time looking at people in the eyes. He tends to look at me instead or looking around the room. It is something that he really needs to work on. His testing scored him low in this area. It is exceptionally difficult for him to look at others in the eye. He is working on it though, I think.