Exploring the overlap, assessment and treatment of anxiety, trauma and autism.
Our lab has a variety of exciting new research projects going on at all different stages of completion. These projects are diverse in their goals and methods, incorporating qualitative, quantitative and experimental approaches as well as clinical, cognitive science and public health focused perspectives.
Keen to keep up with our latest research, community talks, and study participant opportunities? Sign up for our newsletter here.
Our Approach to Language
Discussions around language are crucial to our commitment to creating a safe space for all members, participants, researchers, and guests within our lab. As language often represents a reflection of one’s attitudes and opinions, we strive to stand with the autistic community and respect the diverse language people with autism choose to identify themselves. Specifically, when addressing individuals in the autistic community, we will adopt your preferred language (autistic person or person with autism). In our lab, we may use a variety of terminology, both to describe the autistic community as well as its diversity in ability, support needs and strengths. We understand that attitudes to this language may differ from person-to-person, and so we aim to use language that ensures the comfort of all within the lab.
Current Projects
Ongoing Studies on Autistic Young Adults
Recognizing the limited support available for autistic young adults compared to children, we are addressing this gap by conducting several studies focused on understanding various aspects of mental health and cognitive processes in autistic young adults.
In the first stage of our Social Communication, Historical Exclusion, Memory, and Affect project (SCHEMA), we delved into the impact of social and emotional cues on memory, with a focus on how these effects might vary for individuals with higher autistic traits (see Stewardson et al., 2022). Our findings revealed that individuals lower on autistic traits tend to remember social content better, irrespective of whether it evokes negative or neutral emotions. However, those with higher autistic traits showed enhanced memory only when the social content was negative, suggesting that memories of negative social experiences may be particularly strong (Wardell et al., 2024). Now, in the second stage of the SCHEMA study (supported by SSHRC), we’re using eye tracking along with measures of loneliness and adversity to confirm and explore potential mechanisms underlying these memory patterns in a sample of both autistic and non-autistic young adults.
Building on the insights from SCHEMA, the Social Interpretation of Mental Health in Autism (SIMH-A) study aims to explore the connection between social anxiety and cognitive profiles, such as over- or under-interpreting social cues, in young autistic adults. Additionally, our commitment to addressing challenges in diagnosing autism in adults is reflected in the Building Consensus study, which seeks to build consensus among autistic adults and clinical professionals around ideal assessment practices for diagnosing autistic adults.
Ongoing Studies on Children on the Autism Spectrum
Our research efforts further extends on understanding mental health conditions in autistic children, particularly the interplay of autism with co-occurring conditions like anxiety, ADHD, and fragile X syndrome. The Autism Hero Project (funded by the US NIMH), a collaboration with Duke University, investigates the interplay of autism, anxiety, and ADHD using a diagnostic instrument tailored to the unique developmental and clinical profiles of children on the autism spectrum. Similarly, another study in collaboration with the University of South Carolina, a Fragile X study, examines anxiety among children with Fragile X Syndrome and children on the autism spectrum. Together, these studies will contribute valuable insights into our understanding of anxiety in children with diverse developmental profiles and guide the development of targeted interventions.
Additionally, our extensive Pathways Project (funded by CIHR) is a 15-year-long and ongoing longitudinal study that tracks the development of children on the autism spectrum. Commencing in 2003 with data collection from children at the time of their diagnosis (ages 2-4), this project stands as one of the world’s largest longitudinal studies, examining the health and development trends of autistic youth.
As we continue to analyze data from completed projects, please refer to our Past Research page for more information on the CAAS, PAPA,TAASD, and ACES projects!