Question

I find it hard to make eye contact, especially in pressuring situations. One of my teachers keeps insisting I do, and gets angry at me. I feel attacked, what do I do?

Luna Rose Top Answerer

It's okay to not make eye contact. Eye contact feels overwhelming and scary to many autistics, and you shouldn't have to force yourself into a deeply uncomfortable situation in order to accommodate the whims of non-autistic's rigid expectations. Your teacher is wrong. Try looking at the teacher's shirt, chin, or nose, which your teacher may interpret as eye contact. Then talk to an adult you trust about how your teacher is upsetting you and derailing the lesson to insist that you make eye contact. State the simple facts, and how you feel about them. Your teacher is not doing the job very well, and maybe someone can have a talk with the teacher about this behavior.