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Gaze avoidance – a common feature in children with Autism

Dr-RamKairam

Dr.Ram Kairam

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Key Takeaways:

  1. Children with autism often show gaze avoidance, turning their heads or avoiding eye contact.
  2. This behavior is not related to vision problems but linked to social and behavioral challenges.
  3. Lack of eye contact tends to intensify as the child grows older.
  4. Children may look away or to the side because they find it hard to maintain eye contact.
  5. Gaze avoidance is considered a core trait rather than a separate medical issue.

It has been observed that some children with Autism turn their head away or avoid gazing at an object or person during social interaction. This habit, known as gaze avoidance has nothing to do with vision problems, and more to do with problems of behavior. The lack of eye contact in a younger child intensifies as he/she grows older. This causes the child to look to the side due to the inability to make proper eye contact. Hence, avoiding gaze isn’t so much a co-morbidity as a trait that is due to lack of eye contact in the child.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is for information purposes only. Please consult a qualified health practitioner for safe management.

If you have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other intellectual disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child, the Nayi Disha team is here to help. For any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can call or what’s app us. Our counselors speak different languages including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, and Bengali.

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