Matthew Carl Zajic

Matthew Carl Zajic is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Intellectual Disability/Autism at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research bridges education, psychology, and disability studies with a focus on writing development in autistic individuals across the lifespan. He employs interdisciplinary methodologies to investigate linguistic, cognitive, and social aspects of writing, with recent emphasis on teleassessment and COVID-19 impacts on autistic students.

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

Research Focus: Dr. Zajic examines writing development through neurodiversity frameworks, psychoeducational assessment, and cross-disability comparisons. His work spans early childhood to adulthood, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Key projects include teleassessment of writing skills, longitudinal studies of writing development, and collaborative research with autistic individuals.

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2018-2023) demonstrate a consistent focus on autism spectrum disorders, writing assessment, and comparative analyses with ADHD and learning disabilities. Methodologically, they emphasize observational studies, systematic reviews, and intervention efficacy, with recurring themes of attention, narrative construction, and neurodiversity-informed frameworks.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (Predoctoral) Fellow, US Department of Education (2016-2018)
• National Center for Special Education Research Postdoctoral Fellow, IES (2018-2020)
• IMMERSE Fellowship, Institute of Education Sciences (2023)

Academic Leadership: Dr. Zajic actively advises doctoral students and leads research on writing assessment adaptations. Current initiatives explore intersections of autistic identity and writing development using participatory methodologies.