Making self go cross eyed

[Shannie77]

My 3 year old DD has been making herself go cross eyed since before she was two. Most of the time it is when she is feeling nervous or awkward etc. For example she was at the chiropractors and was asked a question about a picture she drew. Instead of answering she went cross eyed.

I would say she does this 2-5 times a day. At first it was hardly on our radar. But now other people Reacting to in negatively. It is a bit odd I guess to have a child go cross eyed when you are trying to talk to them.

Does any one else have a little one that does this? Should I be worried? Our approach has just been to ignore it.

[gmvh]

My eyes crossed (they still do sometimes) and it's not (and wasn't) purposeful. Are you sure what she's doing, is? There are pediatric opthamologists out in the world, you could take her in for an eval, just to make sure. I've had eye surgery multiple times because of this, I've worn glasses, and had an eye patched. Hopefully it's just a behavioral thing in her case and I'd imagine she'll stop eventually... Good luck!

[crowcaw]

I don't know if you should be worried but my 5 yo twins definitely do it on purpose. It's particularly hysterical (to them) because Grandma thinks it's icky and always comments so. They also do it on purpose when they're making a face to show they're not interested in hearing something (which I'm trying to teach them is not polite). They're 5 though and one has been working very hard to be able to do it; I wonder if there is the muscle control to do it at 3. I'd check with a ped.

[Shannie77]

She can 100% make herself do it on purpose. She started being able to do it on command before she was 2. We have been watching her carefully and it is definitely when she is feeling awkward, or doesn't want to respond etc.. I guess all we can do is ignore it and hope she stops doing it.

Are gmvh and I the only people who have kids who do this?

[eepster]

Being able to do it when she wants to, doesn't necessarily mean she is in control every time it happens. People can cough on command or suppress it when they feel the need to cough, but coughing is still often a sign of a problem.

If she only did it on command or to get laughs, I wouldn't think to much about it. However, doing it under stress suggests that it maybe more comfortable than looking straight. Taking her to see an optometrist is harmless, and will let you know if there are any tracking issues or such.