DS age 4 backs into hugs and kisses

[HandcuffsNowBracelets]

Fully prepared to be told I am silly for asking this but it's in the context of prior worries raised by HV (then dismissed by preschool and subsequently the HV again who said his behaviour has changed a lot due to more boundaries from us) around ASD. But I still have my niggles.

My son is 4 - he is very cuddly and will sit on your lap all day in a cuddle but he tends to back into a hug and only offer his head for kisses without looking at you. He will run to you with a big cuddle when you pick him up at school but otherwise he's like a reversing truck!

I guess what I'm worried about is that lack of eye contact. Is this reversing thing anything I should think about or am I being really stupid here?

No, it is quite awkward making eye contact when giving a hug, even as adults... in autism worries, eye contact is normally tested through joint attention (3-point gaze, social referencing, pointing to share while making eye contact around 20% of the time, etc).

Ah ok. He is pretty ok with all those other things. Lots of joint attention and his social referencing manifests in being a cheeky imp!

Then I wouldn't worry too much, its probably just a toddler thing. Some people might say that he is avoiding touch, i.e. a sensory issue (which at times can be linked to autism), but if this is the only thing he is doing which people might see as 'odd' then it is more than likely nothing of concern.