- Fill out this form if you are interested in participating in future online (and/or in-person) studies about autism!
Beginning about 2016, the Jaswal Lab (formerly the Child Language & Learning Lab) shifted its primary focus toward projects related to autism. Prof. Jaswal no longer admits graduate students whose primary interest is in social cognition in typically developing children.
- Autism Projects
- The Autism & Communication Project
- Augmented Reality for Nonspeaking Autistic People
- Experiences of Regulation and Social Support
- Experiences of Autistic Students at UVa
- Children’s Perceptions of Autistic Behavior
- Impacts of Language on Attitudes Toward Autistic Children
- Beliefs about Autistic People’s Pain
- Infantilization of Autistic People
- Representations of Autistic People in Children’s Literature
Autism Projects
THE AUTISM & COMMUNICATION PROJECT
At least 30% of autistic people cannot communicate effectively using speech, and many never develop an effective language-based alternative way to communicate. Not surprisingly, the inability to communicate even basic desires, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs in a language-based manner is the most significant stressor faced by nonspeaking people and their families. In addition, because nonspeaking autistics are limited in their ability to express themselves using language, many people assume that they a) are not interested in communicating or interacting socially, and b) are not capable of learning age-appropriate academic material.
Recent findings raise serious doubts about these assumptions. Work in the Jaswal lab shows that some parents report that their nonspeaking children are highly motivated to connect with other people. Further, some nonspeaking autistics who have developed alternative ways of communicating describe an intense desire to connect with others. Recent research has suggested that the cognitive potential of many nonspeaking individuals has been vastly underestimated. When individuals’ motivations and potential are underestimated, the effects can be devastating, affecting everything from the social opportunities they are offered to the likelihood that they are given access to a meaningful education.
The Autism & Communication Project is driven by two specific aims: 1) To discover the social and cognitive processes underlying alternative forms of communication that some non-speaking individuals and their families have developed; and 2) To characterize the range of behavior that some parents of nonspeaking autistic children interpret as communicative and to understand the effect that this has on their relationship with their child. We use a range of methodologies, including behavioral tasks, eye-tracking, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. As detailed on the about us page, the questions we ask, the approach we take, and the interpretations offered are inspired and informed by the people whose lives are most affected by the research. You can learn about some of these folks by by visiting the UVa-Tribe Partnership page.
Recent Related Publications:
Jaswal, V. K., Lampi, A. J., & Stockwell, K. M. (2024). Literacy in nonspeaking autistic people. Autism, 28(10), 2503-2514. [open access full text] [EurekAlert!] [FAQs]
Jaswal, V. K., Wayne, A. & Golino, H. (2020). Eye-tracking reveals agency in assisted autistic communication. Scientific Reports, 10, 7882. [animated video abstract] [summary and FAQs] [open access full text]
Jaswal, V. K., Dinishak, J., Stephan, C., Akhtar, N. (2020). Experiencing social connection: A qualitative study of mothers of nonspeaking autistic children. PLoS ONE, 15(11): e0242661. [open access full text] [UCSC story]
Akhtar, N., & Jaswal, V. K. (2020). Stretching the social: Broadening the behavioral indicators of sociality. Child Development Perspectives, 14, 28-33. [doi for full text]
Jaswal, V. K., & Akhtar, N. (2019). Being vs. appearing socially uninterested: Challenging assumptions about social motivation in autism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42, e82: 1-14. [doi for full text]
Jaswal, V. K., & Akhtar, N. (2019). Supporting autistic flourishing [Response to commentaries]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42, e115: 51-59. [doi for full text]
Akhtar, N., Jaswal, V. K., Dinishak, J., & Stephan, C. (2016). On social feedback loops and cascading effects in autism: A commentary on Warlaumont et al. (2014). Psychological Science, 27, 1528-1530. [doi for full text]
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AUGMENTED REALITY FOR NONSPEAKING AUTISTIC PEOPLE
In collaboration with the Krishnamurthy Lab at the University of Calgary, we are investigating how augmented reality could provide access to communication, education, and social opportunities for nonspeaking autistic people. Our work investigates how best to introduce the technology to nonspeaking folks and the people who support them, as well as the design of interfaces and activities to practice and build skills to support communication. (Note: The software side of things is handled by Dr. Krishnamurthy’s group in Calgary; our efforts at UVa are in study design, data collection and analysis.) See here for an August 2023 story from UCalgary describing this project.
Recent Related Publications
Alabood, L., Dow, T., Feeley, K. B., Jaswal, V. K., Krishnamurthy, D. (2024). From letterboards to holograms: Advancing assistive technology for nonspeaking autistic individuals with the HoloBoard. CHI ’24: Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 71. [open access full text]
Dow, T., Pratishtha, P., Alabood, L., Jaswal, V. K., & Krishnamurthy, D. (2024). Toward an augmented reality agent to support communication for nonspeaking autistic people. CHI EA ’24: Extended Abstracts of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 338. [open access full text]
Nazari, A., Alabood, L., Feeley, K. B., Jaswal, V. K., & Krishnamurthy, D. (2024). Personalizing an AR-based communication system for nonspeaking autistic users. In 29th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI ’24). [doi for full text]
Shahidi, A., Alabood, L., Kaufman, K. M., Jaswal, V. K., Krishnamurthy, D., & Wang, M. (2023). AR-based educational software for nonspeaking autistic people – A feasibility study. 2023 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR). [doi for full text]
Nazari, A., Shahidi, A., Kaufman, K. M., Bondi, J. E., Alabood, L., Jaswal, V. K., Krishnamurthy, D., & Wang, M. (2023). Interactive AR applications for nonspeaking autistic people? – A usability study. CHI ’23: Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 708. [open access full text]
Alabood, L., Dow, T., Kaufman, K. M., Jaswal, V. K., & Krishnamurthy, D. (2023). Can cross-reality help nonspeaking autistic people transition to AR typing? CHI EA ’23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article No. 62. [open access full text]
Alabood, L., Krul, E., Shahidi, A., Jaswal, V. K., Krishnamurthy, D., & Wang, M. (2022). HoloType-CR: Cross reality communication training for minimally verbal autistic persons. 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct), pp. 187-190. [doi for full text]
Krishnamurthy, D., Jaswal, V. K., Nazari, A., Shahidi, A., Subbaraman, P., & Wang, M. (2022). HoloType: Lived experience based communication training for nonspeaking autistic people. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts, Article No. 337. [open access full text]
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EXPERIENCES OF REGULATION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT
Autistic individuals often face challenges in regulating their behavioral, emotional, and physiological responses to different situations. Some nonspeaking autistic people have identified the importance of having a trusted person present to support their ability to stay regulated. This aligns with neural and physiological research with non-autistic people indicating the importance of social support of emotional and physiological regulation, also known as Social Baseline Theory. In this project, we are specifically focusing on nonspeaking autistic individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication methods to express themselves. By conducting interviews with these individuals, our aim is to document and gain a deeper understanding of their phenomenological experiences of regulation and how the presence of trusted others in their lives may influence these experiences. For more information, contact Kayden Stockwell at ks6hv@virginia.edu.
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EXPERIENCES OF AUTISTIC STUDENTS AT UVA
Many autistic college students report feeling socially unsupported and misunderstood by professors, their peers, and by university disability support offices. UVA, like many colleges, serves a significant number of autistic students who could benefit from improved support. To address this, we conducted qualitative interviews aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the experiences of autistic students at UVA. From our in-depth interviews with these students, we identified a common challenge: difficulty accessing information about formal and informal support opportunities. We are currently using the information participants shared with us to develop recommendations for how UVA can better support these students. For more information, contact Kayden Stockwell at ks6hv@virginia.edu.
Recent Related Publication
Stockwell, K. M., Robertson, Z. S., Lampi, A. J., Steinmann, T., Morgan, E., & Jaswal, V. K. (2024). “A system that wasn’t really optimized for me:” Factors influencing autistic university students’ access to information. Autism in Adulthood. [full text preprint]
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CHILDREN’S PERCEPTIONS OF AUTISTIC BEHAVIOR
From a young age, children learn from adults and peers about their society’s unwritten rules for how to behave. Even by 18 months of age, children can understand these rules and use them to judge whether other people are behaving appropriately. However, children can also take other information (such as someone’s intentions) into account. Because children are sensitive to social rules for behavior, and because autism is characterized by unusual behaviors, we are interested in this project in how non-autistic children evaluate the behavior of autistic children. See here for one publication on this topic. For more information, email Zoe Robertson at zrobertson@virginia.edu.
Recent Related Publication
Sargent, Z., & Jaswal, V. K. (2022). “It’s okay if you flap your hands”: Non-autistic children do not object to individual unconventional behaviors associated with autism. Social Development, 31(4), 1211-1230. [open access full text]
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IMPACTS OF LANGUAGE ON ATTITUDES TOWARD AUTISTIC CHILDREN
Autistic individuals, just like everyone else, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Unfortunately, autistic people have often been described in hurtful and degrading ways in sources ranging from children’s books to scientific publications. We know that some kids might have negative opinions about autistic children because they behave differently, but adults’ descriptions of autistic people also play an important role in shaping these negative attitudes. This research project is focused on how the words we use can shape how non-autistic children see their autistic peers. For more details, email Zoe Robertson at zrobertson@virginia.edu.
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BELIEFS ABOUT AUTISTIC PEOPLE’S PAIN
How someone’s pain is treated depends upon how social partners perceive their pain, and on whether their reports of pain are believed by others. Autistic people often receive inadequate treatment for their pain. To understand the reasons behind this pain treatment gap, we introduced autistic and non-autistic characters to our participants, and asked them some questions about how much pain these characters would feel. By examining people’s beliefs about autistic people’s pain, we hope to understand the nature of barriers autistic people face in getting adequate care. For more information, contact Abha Basargekar (arb6kg@virginia.edu).
Recent Related Publication
Basargekar, A. R., Rodi, C. E., Swisher, V. S., Jaswal, V. K. (2024). Autistic people are believed to feel more pain than non-autistic people. Social Psychological and Personality Science. [doi for full text]
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INFANTILIZATION OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE
Although autism is lifelong, it is primarily described as a childhood condition. This can make people view autistic adults as relatively childlike. In this project, we are investigating how non-autistic adults perceive autistic adults, and the implications of these beliefs for autistic adults’ opportunities, wellbeing, and dignity. For more information, contact Abha Basargekar (arb6kg@virginia.edu) and Skye Ferris (smf8yc@virginia.edu).
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REPRESENTATIONS OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
The way autistic people are shown in movies, TV, and books can be very different. Some are shown like real people, while others are based on hurtful ideas or stereotypes about autistic people. In this qualitative project, we are investigating how autism and autistic characters are portrayed in children’s books. This involves, for example, identifying overall themes addressed by the stories, the characteristics attributed to autistic and non-autistic characters, and the roles played by these characters. This study may help us understand how autism is represented in popular children’s media and hypothesize about the influence of such representations on non-autistic children’s developing ideas and attitudes about autistic children. For more information, contact Abha Basargekar (arb6kg@virginia.edu) and Zoe Robertson (zrobertson@virginia.edu).
Jaswal Lab 