Lab News

News & Announcements

Updates from the LEXA Lab — new projects, grants, presentations, and opportunities to take part in our research.

Project READ recruitment flyer for a remote language and literacy study for autistic children ages 5 to 8
June 1, 2026

Project READ Approved by GSU IRB, Now Recruiting Autistic Children

Our Project READ: Receptive and Expressive Assessment of Narrative Discourse in Autism has been officially approved by GSU IRB! We are recruiting autistic children between 5 and 8 years old to participate in a remote study on language and literacy development. Feel free to let us know if you want to learn more about the study at asdlab@gsu.edu. Please fill out our screener if you are interested in participating: Project READ Screener Form.

April 6, 2026

Dr. Chen Received RCALL Seed Grant

Our PI, Dr. Yanru Chen, received a Seed Grant from the Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy (RCALL) Center at GSU to support her new research project on early language and literacy development in autistic children. Congratulations, Dr. Chen!

Dr. Yanru Chen presenting at the Meeting on Language in Autism
March 13, 2026

Presenting at the Meeting on Language in Autism (MoLA)

Our PI, Dr. Yanru Chen, gave an oral presentation entitled, “Receptive and Expressive Language Growth in Minimally Verbal Autistic Children: A Six-Month Study” at the Meeting on Language in Autism (MoLA) in Atlanta. MoLA is such an inspiring conference filled with thoughtful conversations on language in autism, meaningful connections with old and new colleagues, and exciting opportunities for new collaborations. Thank you to the MoLA community for such a memorable experience! We look forward to MoLA 2028!

November 12, 2025

Invited Talk at the Connecticut Autism and Language Lab

Today, our PI, Dr. Yanru Chen, was invited to give a talk in the Connecticut Autism and Language Lab (PI: Dr. Inge-Marie Eigsti). Dr. Chen gave a presentation entitled, “Receptive and Expressive Language Development in Minimally Verbal Autistic Children,” during which she shared three studies that she was proud to lead in the past few years at Boston University and Boston Children’s Hospital.

LEXA Lab logo
August 18, 2025

The LEXA Lab Is Born at Georgia State University

Today, the Language, Literacy, and Executive Function in Autism (LEXA) Lab is born at Georgia State University in Atlanta! Our lab’s principal investigator, Dr. Yanru Chen, is an Assistant Professor of Autism in the College of Education and Human Development. She is an interdisciplinary autism researcher. In the LEXA Lab, we are interested in understanding how to support language, literacy, and communication development in autistic children, with a particular focus on the role of executive function. We look forward to connecting with autistic families in the metro Atlanta area and across the U.S.

Interested in Project READ?

We are recruiting autistic children ages 5–8 for a remote study on language and literacy development. Fill out our short screener to see if your family is a fit.

Participate in Project READ