- 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 interest is in social cognition in typically developing children.
- Autism Projects
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., Prizant, B. M., Barense, M. D., Patten, K., Stobbe, G. (2026). Why we need to study assisted methods to teach typing to nonspeaking autistic people. Autism Research, 19(5), e70176. [open access full text]
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]
Top ↑
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
Jaswal, V. K., Krishnamurthy, D., & Wang, M. (June 2025). The quest to ensure nonspeaking autistic people are heard. IEEE Spectrum. [Read Article]
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]
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]
Top ↑
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.
Top ↑
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABLEISM
What are the cognitive and social developmental underpinnings of ableism, the prejudice and discrimination against disabled people? In this project, we are interested in understanding how early developing heuristics and biases (e.g., essentialism) may play a role, and in how it might be possible to intervene.
Recent Related Publication
Jaswal, V. K., & Robertson, Z. S. (2024). Social-cognitive biases underlying the development of ableism. In J. Lockman (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 67, pp. 105-132). Elsevier. [doi for full text]
Robertson, Z. S., & Jaswal, V. K. (2024). Barriers to inclusion: Incorporating the social model in the study of children’s understanding of disability. Cognitive Development. Article 101435. [doi for full text]
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]
Top ↑
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.
Robertson, Z. S. & Jaswal, V. K. (2023, March). “Something’s missing in his brain”: Dehumanizing language promotes dehumanization of autistic children. Poster presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting (Salt Lake City, Utah). [poster]
Jaswal Lab 