Why Does My Child Avoid Eye Contact?

Why Does My Child Avoid Eye Contact? Reduced or absent eye contact in toddlers is one of the first signs parents notice and one of the first questions they bring to their pediatrician. It is also one of the most widely misunderstood. Eye contact avoidance does not automatically indicate autism, and the presence or absence of eye contact alone is not a diagnostic criterion. What clinicians look for is something more specific: whether the child uses eye contact as a social tool. In particular, whe