Not always. Eye contact could be a good way to find focus when overloaded from the environment, if only it didn't hurt so much.

In a calm environment my feeling from eye contact is much the same. Eyes look very harsh and the person looks serious or even angry at me. It doesn't always happen though. Some eyes can look calm. I saw that in a psychologist I had once. And in people who I know have anxiety eyes were painful to keep looking at.
For someone who struggles to clearly articulate my speech eye contact can be very distracting and even make me lose my train of thought, or make me stutter and stammer more.
It never enters into my mind to make eye contact at all, so I think the scientists got that part right. If I could I wouldn't ever make it. I like speaking clearly and explaining complex facts, and I definitely don't want to look at angry faces.
I think the more severe the autism the more they don't make eye contact. Sometimes they don't even point their head in the direction of the person they're meant to be listening to.