Importance of eye contact in early childhood

Poornima Dilip

Making and maintaining eye contact is critical to effective inter-personal communication. In early childhood, eye contact is especially important because in the absence of language skills, infants and toddlers communicate visually. A majority of information infants/toddlers receive is processed visually and optimal visual development is imperative for development of language and fine motor skills.

Infants start to establish eye contact at six to eight weeks and after one-three months they are able to maintain it for a longer time. At three to six months, parents can expect infants to have continuous eye contact and recognise faces. As they turn one, infants use visual contact to connect with others.

However, for several reasons including vision loss, social anxiety and autism disorders, some infants are unable to make eye contact. Parents should be vigilant and watch out for poor eye contact symptoms in infants. Among them:

• Infant is not meeting/avoiding eye contact and doesn’t respond to her name.
• She is not using eye contact to communicate, even at six months.
• Is unresponsive to your visual expressions.

As children begin preschool or day care, visual communication becomes even more important as poor eye contact can result in delayed development of social skills. Therefore, parents have a critical role to play in improving young children’s visual contact skills.

Shubhada Shekar, counsellor, Christ Nagar Junior School, Trivandrum, suggests some ways parents can enable toddlers to improve eye contact:

• Engage your infant/toddler in activities that promote eye contact and social interactions. For example, games that involve looking at the other person, asking for help in putting together a puzzle step by step, visiting friends, and outdoor play with peers.
• Simple games such as peek-a-boo, stacking blocks, or playing with toys that require turn taking are also helpful.
• Encourage reading books with colourful pictures.
• Whenever she asks for a toy, get her into the habit of looking at you before handing it over.
• Use positive reinforcement to encourage eye contact. Whenever your child makes visual contact, smile or give a positive reaction.
• However if your child is still unable to make eye contact, you need to consult a healthcare professional or developmental specialist. Early intervention is invaluable in addressing this problem.

Also read: Do not glorify outdated rhymes: Early Childhood Association to Bollywood