Look
Looking is more than having the eyes open. It is moving the gaze to a specific spot and letting it rest there until something has sunk in. The visual support below makes that small but active skill understandable.
♂Look
A cartoon illustration of a boy's face with an arrow pointing to his eye, indicating the action of looking.
About this visual support
It can look like the child is not listening when really the gaze has not yet arrived. Shifting the eyes from one thing to another, keeping them there, and at the same time taking in what someone says or points at – three things running in parallel, each able to snag on its own.
With visual support, the word look can carry a meaning beyond a command. The picture shows that the gaze points somewhere, lingers, and meets what is being shown. It becomes possible to ask for the action as an action, not as a vague demand for attention.
One concrete tip: pair the picture with a light pointing motion toward the exact object the gaze should find, and wait an extra second before moving on. The pause lets the eyes truly land before the next impression competes. For a child with autism, that beat can be the difference between half a registered moment and a whole one. Inside Routined you can place the looking step as its own picture in a longer sequence, and the app is free to try for 14 days.