Autism: Eye Contact, Facial Recognition and Discrimination

Music from Depeche Mode's upcoming album to be released April 21st, 2009 in the U.S.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• autism
• christschool
• depeche
• mode

[666sigma]

Pretty cool video.

The truth is that most people don't make direct eye contact with each other for more than a few seconds, unless they are intimate (or think that they might want to be).

I work in Japan and very few make direct eye contact. It's considered rude. Most animals also react negatively to it. Direct eye contact is considered a sign of dominance.

[christschool]

"I work in Japan and very few make direct eye contact. It's considered rude."

I think that is an important thing to note. Eye contact is really a western construct. Roy Grinker has some interesting things to say about eye contact in comparison to Western vs. Eastern cultural attitudes. Eye contact for me is distracting and intrusive, except in cases of family members. I think its a trust issue with me.

[LthrnZack]

Having one autie and two aspies in my household has taught me that direct eye contact does not mean that they are not paying attention. As a matter of fact, my wife spotted an odd looking moth/butterfly, hanging of the upper left-end corner wall of a gas station. No one, and I mean no one else but my wife saw this large, leafy green winged insect first.

[christschool]

I've seen those. Google moon moth and see if that is what your wife saw.

I agree completely, eye contact, or lack of, is no indicator of whether someone is paying attention. In fact, I find it easier to listen to someone when I'm not making eye contact. I use to have another video about this subject, but it was destroyed in the hard drive meltdown of 2008 :-(

[limeslimey]

When I am at a meeting or back when I was in school I always found it easier to pay attention to the talker by closing my eyes or looking downward.

[drmdk]

Excellent

[drmaier]

Good points. The only time I ever make complete eye contact with someone is when I'm trying to dominate them.

Personally, I think people are disturbed by my direct gaze. It's scary to them. And very handy for me when I need someone to be afraid of me.

[666sigma]

Now, the funny thing to me, is that my wife will start talking to me while I am in the middle of something, Often, I continue to do what I am doing and my wife complains that I am not listening.

I say that it's not true and she will test me. I almost always tell her what she has said and she complains that I am not listening. She's right.

Depending on the complexity, I will store her comments for processing later. I call it multi-tasking. I think the psychologists call it ADD.

[LthrnZack]

That's it. Me wifey has recently told me that the insect reminded her of a Lunar Moth. Awesome CS :)