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.
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
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
- Shannon Crowley, Assistant Professor at Florida State University
- Rachael McKinnon
- Sarah Moniuddin, MD student at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
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.
