I received this question, through my own blog for my son, who has autism. His name is Philip.

Hi Philip, My sister, who has a son with autism, just told me about your page. I’m a big admirer of what you’re doing. I am trying to learn everything I can about what life is like for my nephew so I can interact with him better. As I’m only just discovering your page, I’m not sure if you’ve covered this topic before: Why is it so difficult to make eye contact with people? For me, it was always hard to communicate with my nephew because I used to think he wasn’t paying attention since he was looking away or stimming, which made it seem like it was impossible for him to hear what I was saying. I know better now but would love to find out more about what it’s like. Thank you for opening up your world to us – you are an inspiration!

I had Philip write back. He said:

I am letting you know about eye contact. My eyes see very well. Most people seem to need to have to look long and hard to make sense of a picture. I can take in a whole picture at a glance. Each day I see too many little petty details. I look away to not get overwhelmed by a lot of little bits of information. I watch things that a teacher or person I listen to tells me to watch. This helps me concentrate on what I should be focusing on. I can search for a teacher’s voice to try to focus on. I am academically learning best when I sit side-by-side with a teacher. A seat on the side keeps me focused on your voice and not on visual distractions. I am assessing many sounds too. I have to erase some stimuli to access my answers to people’s questions and meet their demands. That is why I don’t make eye contact. I am always listening. I listen a lot to voices. I so love when people talk to me and are not talking like I am not there. I am active because I am unable to feel my body well. People think I am being rude but I can’t help it. I need to move to feel my body, but sitting down at least helps me not walk away from you. Please peacefully talk to your nephew. Let him know you understand. I am sad when people think I don’t like them. I love people. Love, Philip

This post originally appeared on Faith, Hope and Love… With Autism.

Want to end the stigma around disability? Like us on Facebook.

And sign up for what we hope will be your favorite thing to read at night.