Mafe Maria: Personal stories by autism parent mentor, Maria Stultz

Inspiring Social Referencing: Following Eyes

When we interact with people, we don’t just talk or make eye contact; we also interpret a number of non-verbal cues they give us (like where they are looking, or their facial expression), and we pull important information from that.

Although Joaquin has nice eye contact, we’ve recently realized that sometimes he has a challenge recognizing where we are looking. With the intention to help Joaquin perceive and practice following somebody else’s eyes, Aaron created fun social loops into their game of going to Mars, pointing with his eyes to potential things they could take on their trip.

Notice Aaron’s playful way to motivate him, his consistency with this intention throughout their whole play session, and how quickly Joaquin responds to it.

Welcome to my parent mentoring service

Hello, you Super mom of an Awesome autistic child.

If my experience and words speak to you, I invite you to learn about my mentoring service for autism parents.

Intentional parenting, development, and education for our children is my passion. My purpose is to empower you with the emotional and practical support you need to thrive as you reach for every outcome you dream of for you and your child’s life.

Learn More