A new paper is pushing back hard on the notion that people with autism are not interested in socializing.

The paper, “Being vs. Appearing Socially Uninterested: Challenging Assumptions about Social Motivation in Autism,” questions the widespread assumption that the primary reason for autistic people’s unusual behaviors is that they are not socially motivated. Rather, the authors suggest, their social signals are misunderstood—an insight the authors believe could open the door to more effective interventions.

“We hope this research will lead to more respectful treatment of people with autism, as well as development of more effective methods of supporting them,” said Nameera Akhtar, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who coauthored the paper with lead author, Vikram Jaswal, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

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