Hart's Lab of Autism Research

We explore how autistic individuals experience intimacy, attraction, and romantic relationships across adolescence and adulthood. 

Intimacy and romantic relationships in autism is a current fascinating area of research in our lab.  Future research on intimacy and romantic relationships in autism should move beyond deficit-based frameworks and instead examine the mechanisms that shape attraction, connection, and mutual understanding. This includes studying how sensory processing, social timing, interpersonal synchrony, and internal representations of faces and attractiveness influence romantic experiences from adolescence into adulthood. Longitudinal and mixed method designs that incorporate autistic voices directly are essential, as are studies that explore neurodiverse pairings rather than only autistic neurotypical comparisons. Clinically, research will aim to inform supportive interventions that respect autonomy, agency, and diverse relationship styles, while identifying contextual barriers that may limit opportunities for intimacy. Such work has the potential to reposition romantic development in autism as a domain of difference and adaptation, rather than dysfunction.  This research is in collaboration with Dr. Liron Lamash (Dept of Occupational Therapy)