Further Evaluation of a Practitioner Model for Increasing Eye Contact in Children With Autism.

Brodhead et al. (2019) tested a step-by-step plan that teaches eye contact to autistic children.

Fifteen kids joined. The team added or removed prompts, reinforcers, and practice times until each child reached mastery.

They tracked who hit the goal and what tweaks were needed.

Eleven of the fifteen children learned to look at an adult’s eyes on request.

Most kids needed at least one change—extra praise, a new prompt, or slower fading—for the skill to stick.

The looks lasted a few weeks, then began to drop without practice.

Bryant et al. (1984) got similar gains by simply copying the child’s toy play. Their low-cost imitation trick still works, but it lacks the clear fading steps T et al. added.

Latham et al. (2014) also had to adjust prompts—they paired hand-over-hand help with words. Together the three studies show prompting plus quick tweaks is a reliable pattern.

Espinosa (2025) argues we should skip direct eye-contact drills and instead make social interaction itself fun. That view clashes with T et al.’s explicit teaching, yet both want the same end: kids choosing to look. The difference is road, not destination.

Expect to tinker. Start the progressive plan, but watch data after every session. If progress stalls, add a stronger reinforcer, change the prompt, or stretch the interval. Note which adjustment works—your next case will probably need it too.