ADHD Eye contact

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Do people with ADHD have problems with eye contact?

I know four people with it, and only one of them show such issues, although he is 12 and a piano student of mine, so some of that might be due to the interpersonal dynamic of the situation.

All the others seem to be very good with social interaction issues: body language, eye contact, vocal inflection and all the rest, although in one case the meds he is taking tend to make him not respond "normally" until they've kicked in for awhile.

It is one way in which I am different from most other ADDers I know

I can make direct eye contact, but I'm telling myself to do so as I do it... doesn't come real natural like.

I also don't make eye contact for very long, mainly because I am constantly looking at everything else.

I can only make eye contact with a few select people who I know very well..and even then it isn't direct eye contact..partially because at least one of the people I do this with doesn't really make eye contact either, and I think we practice on each other.

There is a difference between looking "at" someone's eyes and looking into them. I can practice looking "at" eyes but if they aggressively try to make "contact" then usually I have to stop.

There's no relationship between ADD/ADHD and eye contact.

Except that many people with ADD/ADHD actually happen to be on the autistic spectrum...and folks on the spectrum are likely to have eye contact troubles.

Hyperactivity can lead to less eye-contact when the hyperactive child/adult is so motor active that they will not stay still and look into someone's eyes for the 'developmental appropriate' time in a conversation.

Also, impulsivity (suddenly looking elsewhere for something more interesting) and the attention deficit ('forgetting' to look into someone's eyes) can also lead to some abnormal eye-contact in people with AD(H)D.

Co-morbidity such as general or social anxiety that can appear in those with AD(H)D as a consequence of living in the society with their differences however supposedly more often lead to abnormal of eye-contact.

My friend has AD(H)D and has no problems with eye contact or social awkwardness whatsoever.

I have another friend who says he was diagnosed with ADD and I think someone told me he had eye contact issues, but I'm pretty sure he's co-morbid on the spectrum, and/or misdiagnosed perhaps.

So far, I've only been diagnosed with ADD. Yet eye contact is very painful for me. As far back as I can remember, I've never looked people in the eye for more than a second, unless I'm furious and being aggressive, and even then, I don't keep eye contact for long. Just another thing that lets me know I have more than ADD going on with me, although really, is ADD that separate from forms of autism? Or are people with ADD just higher functioning high functioning autistics?

I definitely have trouble with eye contact, or atleast, sustained eye contact. For me, looking into someone's eyes is one of the ways I read people. So, in my mind, if they're looking into my eyes, they're trying to read me. I'm very uncomfortable with people "reading" me because most people misread me most of the time. While, I do have changes in tone and inflection when I speak and changes in body language, they seem to have less meaning from me than from NT people. THat is to say, I can be laughing hysterically when I say "I'm serious" about something, and I am actually completely serious.

The primary reason that I'm pretty sure that I don't have a co-morbid autism spectrum disorder or asperger's is the empathy aspect. As opposed to having difficulty reading other people's moods or understanding other people in that aspect, I seem to be hypersensitive to it. For example, when someone says "Try to imagine how you would feel in their situation.", I can do just that with ease and I find that I'm often spot-on with how the person who's actually in that situation feels.

Maybe the eye contact thing isn't so much a "symptom" of Autism or AS, but rather something they often have in common. Like, when I was diagnosed as having ADHD, I was told that my caffiene consumption and cigarette smoking were a couple of "clues" that I have ADHD. I was drinking up to two pots of coffee per day, and I smoked for the purpose of busying my hands versus an actual chemical addiction. I often hold cigarettes or other similarly shaped objects between my fingers and as a teen, I was among those who chewed on the caps of my ink pens.

My apologies. I have a terrible habit of rambling on aimlessly, digressing, and over explaining; especially in the morning (as is the current time of day where I am). That was a really terse way of saying that some people just don't like eye contact as much as others. I don't think that it's necessarily just an aspie thing (so to speak).

I have trouble with eye contact. Not because of self worth issues. If I look in a person's eyes I can't pay attention to what they say. I need to look at thier mouth to pay attention to thier words. I do not have a hearing problem. Another problem I have is interupting. If I wait untill a person is finished talking I have already forgotten the point I wanted to make. anyone else have this experience?

I got ADHD, and I can't stand eye contact. Not even with family members, etc.

Now this was a relief to find--it's not just me! I'd been wondering if the eye contact thing was strictly an AS thing, and if I might've been misdiagnosed, but it's interesting to see I'm not the only ADHD'er with difficulties here.

I'm not really sure what it is about me and eye contact but I've always sucked at it, and I have to focus to make myself do it. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm distracted or (if I'm explaining a thing) I am looking at the item/technique I'm describing rather than the person, or if it's something else, but my parents have always nagged me about it, and several months ago my boss told me to work on it. (I worked in retail then. I now work in a different position in the same company.) I also remember seeing a video of myself getting on the news and noticing how different my level of eye contact was from most people. (Now, that was when I was younger and less aware of it.)

Sometimes I think it bothers me to look in people's eyes too much, but truth be told I think it's an issue of being too distracted. Anyone else here (who wasn't here when this thread was posted?) who has ADHD but no AS diagnosis, who also has difficulties? Any idea what it was, and what would help with it other than (in the famous words of Alastor Moody) CONSTANT VIGILANCE?

Even though yes, my boss told me this, it's something I would like to get better at doing in a work setting. (With those who know me well I'm not as worried.)



(Oh, and what Anonomess (sp?) says about HYPERsensitivity to people's moods? Ohhh yes. Occasionally I have trouble with telling if someone's being sarcastic, but I'm not too bad at knowing when I need to ask for clarification. )

"For me, looking into someone's eyes is one of the ways I read people. So, in my mind, if they're looking into my eyes, they're trying to read me. I'm very uncomfortable with people "reading" me because most people misread me most of the time."

Likewise. I have no problems looking into other people's eyes. But sometimes when they look into my eyes, I feel uncomfortable, especially if I'm feeling nervous about my interaction with them for some reason. I can't tell by the way my face feels what expression I'm projecting (I've often been told I'm showing expressions that surprise me), plus I worry that people will think I'm weird and not like me, so letting myself be "read" isn't always easy. It doesn't seem to help that personally, I use eye contact more to establish and maintain an interaction than to read people. On the other hand, when I'm comfortable, I may make too much eye contact.

Interesting stuff. Here's one of my favorite explanations of why we tend to look away: http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.c ... l#comments People with ADHD tend to have lower working memory, so we might need to look away more in order to process what's going on. Does this resonate with anyone?