"The Asperger's Stare"

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Yes, that's it! That's the picture I was thinking of!
A painting from 1944, called "The 2000-Yard Stare", by artist Tom Lea...


From this article: http://www.milhist.net/global/2000yard.html
"The staring eyes, the slack lips, the sleepwalker's stance. I've seen men with that look on their faces. I've had it on my own face. It feels stiff, and the muscles don't want to work right when you try to smile, or show expression, or talk."

That almost sounds kind of like Asperger's to me. But I've not been in military combat. My face and eyes just happen to look like that most of the time. That picture is one of the clearest examples of what I'm thinking of. Other people tell me that I look lost, or they ask me what is wrong, or tell me that my eyes are creeping them out. That is the Asperger's Stare to me.

I definitely have it. The irony is some NT's have actually made it worse, because after being bullied badly at school I wanted even less to engage in eye contact or show any emotion that could attract attention or be used against me. (You know how it goes. "What are you looking at?" "What's so f-n funny?")

So I started consciously trying not to appear awkward and unwillingly engaged, choosing to look vacant/distracted and stare through people instead. It worked a bit on bullies, but now I do it to everyone. I don't know any appropriate alternatives to do.

I have recognized something like that in myself and other Aspies in the family. I call it the Aspie Glare because we aren't really staring at anything. It's like when we are looking at something (usually non human far into the distance), but our minds are somewhere else. It's different than the million yard stare marines talk about coming home with, but kinda similar. I get very embarrassed by it because I know it's like I went from alert and in the moment to my own world for a second.

According to a psychologist who conducted a test on me a couple of months ago, and subsequently gave me her report, I have a 'cold, glazy stare'. It bothered me when I read this, because it had already been a bit difficult for me to get myself to look people in the eye in the first place, and I thought I was doing well with that. But now it no longer bothers me, because people who know me will not find my eyes 'cold' or 'glazy' because they're familiar with the personality behind it.

I just looked at the back cover photo, and I have a photo of me that looks almost identical.

This is why I don't pose for pictures. My eyes are so f****d up that if I'm actually looking at the camera, I look high.

This describes me exactly. I am looking intently at something inside my brain. I don't even see the external world when this happens.

Well I've never noticed The Stare in others, because I don't pick up on those things, but apparently I stare a lot. I've been told I look (and sound) blank most of the time. Also, when I see something/someone I'm interested in, I tend to stare at it/them intently. Apparently this unsettles people, so I try not to do it when I think the other person will notice. I can't stop it altogether though. Some people just have interesting lines and lumps and things on their faces. Or the colour of their skin looks cool or something. When I decide to notice someone, I give them my full attention.

I know exactly what you mean there. Slipping into your own world for a few seconds, only to suddenly snap out of it.

If it's any consolation, I have been accused of this too, when I zone out. One does not have to be an Aspie, evidently, to manifest this.

I never knew that some people with AS have a certain stare. I don't think I have it, at least when I look in the mirror my stare looks quite typical (I think). The only time I imagine that I have this blank stare is when I'm day-dreaming, which is quite often.
I've been to an Aspergers social group a few times and no one there had this type of stare either, or maybe I just wasn't looking for it.

Although i do not posess the stare myself, i assume it would be very useful if you wanted to make a baby cry from a world-record distance.

I still think this is the most perfect example (even if Wittgenstein wasn't autistic):

I agree Modality, it's a good example. I think I have a photo of me with that stare.

Same here. My friends have often requested that I stop "growling" at people which is a Scottish expression meaning to give someone a filthy look or unfriendly stare. I didn't even notice there were people there never mind growl at them. I've been told when I smile my eyes don't match with the expression. As an example, one Halloween I dressed up as a bloody bride. My friend's cousin was taking pictures of me and commented on me being such a good actress and getting into character because my eyes were apparently dead!

I love my stare