Most children and adults on the Autism Spectrum have challenges looking at people. I have also noticed that a lot of adults who are not on the Autism Spectrum also have challenges looking at people.
Maybe this is why Facebook has become such a social phenomenon.
Why can looking be so difficult for some people? Maybe one of the reasons is our society has difficulty with social intimacy.
When you look into another's eyes, you can see their warmth or their indifference, their acceptance or their lack of acceptance. You see their response to you. And vice versa, they see you and your response to them. In order to take in this response we must slow down and receive, again something that our society is not nurturing. It's all action-packed looking for results and the next thing to do, achieve or say.
When we look at another person, their eyes and facial expressions tell us more about the communication that just took place. The questions is do we really want to know?
When we do, it helps us slow down and notice what is really happening around us, to the people we love and what our children are already offering us.
You also have to look at the culture of society. Many cultures teach their children to never look someone in the eye. A lot of this is due to religion, history, etc. This is also very prominent in the south of the US. A lot of times it is considered disrespect.
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