VT Center for Autism Research

We strongly support neurodiversity and acknowledge varying preferences regarding language among self-advocates within the autism and broader community.  Please let us know your preference for identity-first (i.e., "autistic individual") or person-first language (i.e., "individual with autism/ASD") when we meet.

The VT Autism Clinic operates as a training clinic for graduate students and research is conducted through the Center for Autism Research. 

Current research efforts:

• Develop and test the feasibility of a model for autism service provision by offering assessments and professional development for educators            
• Development of a hybrid mentoring program for autistic STEM undergraduate students and establish a pipeline from-graduation-to-work with industry partners
• EmotionAIze - Empathy-Driven Interactive Human-AI System for Countering Negative-Self Talk for Autistic Individuals
• Machine learning in AI to better understand collaboration between autistic and non-autistic individuals in the workplace
• Designing AI as a Mental Health Resource for Autistic Adults: Enhancing Therapeutic Approaches with Multimodal Interactions
• Piloting a Parenting Mobile App to Reduce Treatment-time for Families in Virginia
• Mobile Autism Clinic (MAC), one of our signature initiatives, which supports our work on accessible autism services for rural Virginians.