Eye Contact & Gaze

• Eye Contact Tips

  Submitted by Jennifer Crawford

  Goal: Eye contact – Increasing eye contact through non-verbal praise.

  1. Try using funny glasses. This will direct the child to look at you in the eyes.
  2. When a child looks at you, just simply smile at them or give them a non-verbal reinforcer they like, Example: squeezes or tickles.
  3. Another way to increase the spontaneous eye contact is when the child looks at you, deliver the reinforcer immediately. (Note: This should be the only time you deliver this reinforcer. Then the child will start to connect the two.)

     Example: I delivered a gummy bear with a child whenever they looked at me or someone else. Gummy bears were only used to reinforce eye contact and no other programs.

  NOTE: These steps are a way for you to increase spontaneous eye contact for a child without having to say “good looking at me”.

• Pretzel-Boy (or Pretzel-Girl)

  Skill level: Depends on play/imitation level. Will exhibit some interest with early learners. More teaching potential (imagination/pretending) with older learners.

  Submitted by Juliet Burk

  Get out your play-doh, roll it out and make a large pretzel. Wear it like glasses (or a mask) and sing, "Ah-ah-ah-ah, Pretzel-mom (Dad, etc)!" (We use the tune from the Larry-Boy cartoon from the Veggie-tales videos). Then help/guide them to roll out a pretzel for themselves and wear it like glasses. Sing together, "Ah-ah-ah-ah, Pretzel-Boy!" You can then run around trying to fly or save the day. Or not!

• Silly Eyes

  Skill level: can be adapted to all.

  Submitted by Juliet Burk

  Get out your quarters, silver dollars, bingo chips or large round candies and stick them in your eyes and pretend you don't know they're there. Then interact like you normally do and follow their lead, give them turns, etc. or if it's edible, give them one to eat when they look at you/show interest in your eyes/face. Or pretend to be blind. Let them try to do it too. See how much fun you can have building interest in your face and eyes. You might take a selection of materials if the learner is older, and help them choose which items might make angry eyes, or happy eyes, or scared or sad, etc. Ask them WHY they made the choices they did.