Hart's Lab of Autism Research

We investigate how autistic adults communicate through language, gaze, facial expression, gesture, and voice across different social contexts. 

Research on verbal and nonverbal communication in autistic adults increasingly points to nuanced differences rather than global impairments. At the verbal level, studies in our lab examine the use of 'mental state verbs' (MSVs) - such as think, know, feel, and believe - suggest variability in how autistic adults linguistically encode perspective taking and internal states, with patterns that may reflect differences in spontaneous mental state attribution rather than lack of understanding per se. At the non-verbal level, differences in gaze, facial expressivity, gesture, and prosody can shape how intentions are interpreted within interaction, particularly in cross-neurotype encounters. Importantly, recent work using computational approaches, in collaboration with the Computer Science Department of Haifa University, demonstrates how multi-domain features such as language, vocal patterns, and subtle behavioral cues can be integrated to improve characterization of communication profiles in autism. Together, this line of research supports a dimensional and data-driven understanding of communication that acknowledges heterogeneity while also informing more precise and clinically sensitive assessment frameworks.  This research is in collaboration with Prof Hagit HelOr (Computer Sciences, University of Haifa) and Prof Rama Novogrodsky (Dept of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa) and Dr Inbal Eilon.