AUTISTIC COMMUNICATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND RELATIONSHIPS
In the ACER lab, we study the complex social experiences of autistic children, youth, and adults, and the social and developmental processes that underlie interpersonal communication.

Are you a parent of a k-12 student, or an autistic educator living in New England?

We would love for you to participate in our study.

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Our Research

We research topics such as social interaction dynamics, how engagement between autistic children and caregivers supports autistic children’s development, school experiences of autistic children and youth, and autistic children’s understanding of friendships. Recently, we have also begun exploring ethical issues related to autism intervention research, including research quality, conflicts of interest, and adverse event reporting.

Our Methods

We use a variety of methods and data sources to explore these topics, including quantitative analyses of video observations, quantitative and qualitative analyses of interviews and surveys, and discourse/conversation analysis, among others.

Our Commitment

In our research, we are committed to a neurodiversity framework; an understanding that autism is a neurological difference that should be respected as a form of human diversity. This means that we focus our research efforts on supporting, not curing or normalizing, autistic children and youth. We are also committed to prioritizing and respecting the voices of autistic people in our work.

Meet the Team

Kristen Bottema-Beutel
Associate Professor of Special Education

Kristen Bottema-Beutel, Ph.D. is an associate professor of Special Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.

She received her Ph.D. from the joint doctoral program in Special Education at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, which was followed by an IES post-doctoral fellowship in Special Education Interventions at Vanderbilt University. She joined the Boston College faculty in 2013, and has worked with children, youth, and adults with disabilities for over 15 years.
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Shannon Crowley
Doctoral Candidate

Shannon Crowley, M.A. is a doctoral candidate in the Teaching, Curriculum, and Society department of the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development. 

Her research interests include exploring the social interactions and friendship development of students with autism spectrum disorder in the classroom setting, and the transition from high school to adulthood for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. She received a master’s degree in Applied Psychology from Boston College, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Union College.
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Ruoxi Guo
Doctoral Student

Ruoxi Guo, M.Ed. is a doctoral student in the Teaching, Curriculum, and Society department of the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development. 

Her research interests include autistic children’s language development, social communication, and social interaction in various contexts. She is also interested in supporting autistic children’s peer relationships and meaningful engagement in inclusive classrooms, and in supporting their classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, and parents. She also wants to explore the intersection between children’s diverse support needs and their race, ethnicity, and language backgrounds. She received a master’s degree in the dual licensure program in Elementary Education and Moderate Support Needs from Boston College.
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Caroline Braun
Doctoral Student

Caroline Braun, M.S., CCC-SLP is a doctoral student in the Teaching, Curriculum, and Society department of the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development. 

Her research interests include methodological quality of autism research as well as communication, social, and feeding development among autistic children. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a speech language pathologist supporting neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan in medical, school, and private practice settings. She is autistic and her lived and professional experiences as an autistic therapist informs her advocacy efforts and involvement in developing neurodivergent affirming education materials for professionals. 
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Rachael McKinnon
Doctoral Student
Rachael McKinnon, M.A., M.Ed. is a doctoral student in the Teaching, Curriculum and Society department of the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development. 
Her research interests include teachers as workers and power and politics in education. She received a master's degree in Moderate Disabilities from Boston College, a master's degree in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College, and a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Boston University.
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Sarah Mohiuddin
Undergraduate

Sarah Mohiuddin is an undergraduate student in Applied Psychology & Human Development at Boston College Lynch School of Education.

Her research interests include speech delay and caregiver interaction styles that can be used as intervention for autistic children. Specifically, she is interested in the effect of varying forms of screen time on children’s language development. In addition to being a research assistant, Sarah supports children with disabilities in developing their reading skills.
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Lab Alumni

  • Vicky Yu, doctoral student at Boston College
  • Josephine Cuda, Assistant Professor at Curry College
  • Ashley Antwi, Master of Public Health student at Emory University
  • Jessica Barnes
  • Jennifer Byron
  • Chelsey Carroll, Psy.D. Student at William James College
  • Christopher Cruz
  • Linnea Joffe-Nelson
  • Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Lesley University
  • So Yoon Kim, Assistant Professor at Duksung Women’s University
  • Becca Louick, Assistant Professor at St. John’s University
  • Maryam Moravvej Farshi
  • Haerin Park, Ph.D. student at Boston College
  • David Schatz
  • Kana Umagami,  Ph.D. student at University College London
  • Rachel White
  • Caitlin Malloy, Ph.D. lecturer at UMass Boston

Publications

Sandbank, M., Chow, J., Bottema-Beutel, K., Woynaroski, T. (in press). Evaluating evidence-based practice in light of the boundedness and proximity of outcomes: Capturing the scope of change. Autism Research. 

Bottema-Beutel, K., Kapp, S., Lester, J. N., Sasson, N., & Hand, B. (in press). Avoiding ableist language: Suggestions for autism researchers. Autism in Adulthood. This paper is open access and is available here.

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“When I don’t have the support I need, my available brainpower gets significantly overtaxed trying to compensate. That’s what supports are supposed to help with. They help us live on equal footing. They give us the tools and opportunities to be ourselves. They help us where we need help, but allow us to thrive on our own power. They don’t assume that we can’t. They help us so we can.”
~ The Third Glance, Autistic blogger