Zajic, Matthew C. (mcz2114)

EDUCATION

BA, Sociology (Minors in Education/Applied Psychology and Professional Writing), University of California, Santa Barbara

PhD, Education (Emphasis in Learning and Mind Sciences; Designated Emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies), University of California, Davis

FELLOWSHIPS

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (Predoctoral) Fellow (US Department of Education) in Psychometrics and Assessment of Special Populations, University of California, Davis [2016-2018]

National Center for Special Education Research (Institute of Education Sciences) Postdoctoral Research Training Fellow in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Education, University of Virginia [2018-2020]

Institute on Mixture Modeling for Equity-Oriented Researchers, Scholars, & Educators (IMMERSE) Fellowship, Institute of Education Sciences [2023-2024]

My primary research focuses on understanding and supporting the writing development of autistic individuals across the lifespan. A key goal of my research is to bridge foundational work to practice, ensuring findings are accessible and actionable for children, caregivers, and educational professionals. This work centers on four main pillars: theory, development, measurement and assessment, and instruction and intervention.

I adopt interdisciplinary approaches from writing, autism, and literacy research to examine the intersections between the linguistic, cognitive, and social demands of writing and the diverse profiles of autistic learners. Methodologically, I draw on both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with specific expertise in mixture modeling, psychoeducational assessment, lifespan/longitudinal studies, and systematic reviews.

In addition to my primary focus, I am also broadly interested in other areas of academic and skill development in autistic individuals (including reading and language); writing development for learners with other developmental or learning disabilities; neurodiversity-affirming frameworks for understanding and supporting autistic individuals; and advanced assessment, measurement, and quantitative methods in educational psychology and special education.

Some recent and ongoing projects include the following:

• Literacy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the literacy experiences of autistic youth (K-12) and their families before and during the pandemic, with a focus on the roles of caregivers and educators.

• Teleassessment and Autistic Adolescent Writing: Using teleassessment methods to understand the school-based and personal writing experiences of autistic adolescents.

• Writing Modality and Achievement: Examining how the mode of writing (e.g., keyboarding, handwriting, speech-to-text) impacts writing outcomes for neurodiverse student populations.

• Personal Interests and Writing Achievement: Investigating the intersection of specialized interests and writing achievement in autistic youth.

Click here to access my CV via Google Drive.

Dr. Zajic is accepting new doctoral students for the 2026 Fall semester. Feel free to email with questions.

Zajic, M. C., Gudknecht, J., & McIntyre, N. S. (2025). Characterizing the special education goals of autistic students: Latent class analysis with demographic and developmental covariates. Exceptional Children. Advance Online Publication.

McIntyre, N. S., & Zajic, M. C. (2025). Prevalence and predictors of caregivers’ reports of academic, language, social, and behavior Individualized Education Program goal areas among school-age autistic children. Journal of Special Education. Advance Online Publication.

Zajic, M. C., & Gudknecht, J. (2024). Person- and identity-first language in autism research: A systematic analysis of abstracts from 11 autism research journals. Autism: International Journal of Research & Practice. Advance Online Publication.

Troia, G., Ciullo, S. P., Wolbers, K. A., & Zajic, M. C. (2024). Writing instruction for students with disabilities. In J. M. Kauffman, D. P. Hallahan, & P. C. Pullen (Eds.), Handbook of special education (3rd ed., 660-680). Routledge.

Zajic, M. C. (2023). Writing and autism spectrum disorder. In R. Horowitz (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of International Research on Writing (Vol. 2) (427-441). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437991

Zajic, M. C., & Brown, H. M. (2022). Measuring autistic writing skills: Combining perspectives from neurodiversity advocates, autism researchers, and writing theories. Human Development, 66(2), 128-148. https://doi.org/10.1159/000524015 

Henry, A. R., Conner, C., Zajic, M. C., & Solari, E. J. (2022). Feasibility and initial efficacy of an adapted telepractice listening comprehension intervention for school-aged children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05474-6

Zajic, M. C., Solari, E. J., McIntyre, N., Lerro, L., & Mundy, P. C. (2021). Observing visual attention and writing behaviors during a writing assessment: Comparing children with autism spectrum disorder to peers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and typically developing peers. Autism Research, 14(2), 356-368. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2383

Poch, A., Zajic, M. C., & Graham, S. (2020). Informing inquiry into writing across the lifespan from perspectives on children with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. In R. Dippre & T. Phillips (Eds.), Approaches to Lifespan Writing Research: Steps Toward an Actionable Coherence. WAC Clearinghouse.

Zajic, M. C., & Poch, A. (2020). A conceptual overview of longitudinal quantitative methodological approaches to studying writing across the lifespan. In R. Dippre & T. Phillips (Eds.), Approaches to Lifespan Writing Research: Steps Toward an Actionable Coherence. WAC Clearinghouse.

Gillespie-Lynch, K., Hotez, E., Zajic, M. C., Bublitz, D., Riccio, A., Gaggi, N., DeNigris, D., Luca, K., & Kofner, B. (2020). Comparing the writing skills of autistic and nonautistic university students: A collaboration with autistic university students. Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320929453

Zajic, M. C., Solari, E. J., McIntyre, N., Lerro, L. & Mundy, P. (2020). Task engagement during narrative writing in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder compared to peers with and without attentional difficulties. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 76, 101590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101590

Zajic, M. C., Solari, E. J., McIntyre, N., Lerro, L. & Mundy, P. (2020). Overt planning behaviors during narrative writing in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 100, 103631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103631

Zajic, M. C., Solari, E. J., Grimm, R., McIntyre, N., & Mundy, P. (2020). Relationships between reading profiles and narrative writing abilities in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10015-7

Zajic, M. C., & Wilson, S. E. (2020). Writing research involving children with autism spectrum disorder without a co-occurring intellectual disability: A systematic review using a language domains and mediational systems framework. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 70. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101471

Zajic, M. C., Dunn, M., & Berninger, V. W. (2019). Case studies comparing learning profiles and response to instruction in autism spectrum disorder and oral and written language learning disability at transition to high school. Topics in Language Disorders, 39(2), 128-154. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0000000000000180 

Zajic, M. C., McIntyre, N., Swain-Lerro, L., Novotny, S., Oswald, T., & Mundy, P. (2018). Attention and written expression in school-age, high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 22(3), 245-258. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316675121