Autism Thinks: Recent Episodes
New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence
Each episode brings together neuroscience, technology, and innovation to a soundscape that'll change your perspectives on autism, the mind and the world around us. This podcast series is produced by the New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence.
Babies on the Move: The origins and importance of spontaneous movements
with Professor Christa Einspieler
Join us to hear a moving conversation with Professor Christa Einspieler, a neurophysiologist from the Medical University of Graz. Einspieler is a trailblazer in the field of infant development and she was a pioneer in creating the general movements assessment (GMA). GMA assesses the spontaneous (general) movement patterns of infants for early identification of infants at increased risk for cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions like autism spectrum disorders.
This is the first part of a series called 'Babies on the Move', where we're on a mission to learn more about how observing movement can tell us about the neurodevelopment of young infants.
Full Transcript: https://rb.gy/x51qd
Further Reading:
General Movements Trust - https://general-movements-trust.info/5/home
Prechtl, H. (2001). General movement assessment as a method of developmental neurology: New paradigms and their consequences The 1999 Ronnie MacKeith Lecture. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 43(12), 836-842.
Einspieler, C., Prechtl, H. F., Bos, A. F., Ferrari, D. F. M., & Cioni, M. (2008). Prechtl's method on the qualitative assessment of general movements in preterm, term and young infants. Mac Keith Press.
Einspieler, C., Prayer, D., & Marschik, P. B. (2021). Fetal movements: the origin of human behaviour. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 63(10), 1142–1148. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14918
In this Autism Thinks episode, historian John Summers brings a fresh perspective. He is newly affiliated as a research fellow in History and Disability with the think tank New America and has been the President and Editorial Director of Lingua Franca Media. As a historian, he starts from the beginning, bringing context into the bigger picture as he discusses various issues in the realm of autism, from behaviorism and autism care services to transportation needs and adult group homes.
Full Transcript of the Episode - https://bit.ly/3SyE65v ; Music excerpts used in this podcast are from the royalty-free music library by composer Kevin MacLeod.
John Summers' website -
https://johnsummers.co
The Shocking School article -
https://bostonreview.net/articles/the-shocking-school/
The Group Home Racket article - https://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2021/1121summers.html
As Private Equity Comes to Dominate Autism Services article - https://www.thenation.com/article/society/private-equity-autism-aba/
Spinning their Wheels article -
https://www.cambridgeday.com/2017/12/18/quality-of-service-for-disabled-child-ends-with-start-of-bus-ride-of-up-to-two-hours/
A Small Piece in Many Different Journeys: Innovating Healthcare & Medical TechnologyDr. Emily Reiser joins us this Autism Thinks episode, sharing how she makes innovation dreams come true. She is currently the Associate Director at Texas Medical Center (TMC). As a former Senior Manager of Innovation Community Engagement, she helped aspiring entrepreneurs and startups launch new technologies for public health at the Texas Medical Center's innovation arm, TMC Innovation. She describes her role as an interconnector, bringing together startups, entrepreneurs and innovators with clinicians and their patients-- a crucial piece in many different journeys. Further, she speaks more about disparities in healthcare and supporting the disabled community through new technologies. If you are an inspiring innovator or interested in medical technology, tune in for Dr. Reiser's invaluable words of advice.
Useful Resources/ Links:Texas Medical Center Innovation:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tmcinnovation
https://twitter.com/tmcinnovation?s=21
Dr. Emily Reiser:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyreiser
https://twitter.com/em_reiser?s=21
Music/ Soundbites Featured: shorturl.at/drvA0
This episode, Dr. Nadia Rachdaoui continues to share her story. She is the founder of biotechnology company, NutrArgan, and a former faculty member at the Endocrinology Program in the Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University. Her story is a story of a true scientist, a story of obstacles and lessons learned along the way— and at the same time, it’s a story of resilience and hope.
NutrArgan, Biotech company founded by Nadiahttps://nutrargan.com
Dr. Rachdaoui's Open Letterhttps://sites.google.com/view/mentoring-in-academia/home
NIH Re-entry Supplement Linkshttps://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-18-592.html
https://orwh.od.nih.gov/career-development-education/research-supplements-promote-re-entry-biomedical-and-behavioral
NIH R21 Granthttps://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r21.htm
NIH Grant Policies https://grants.nih.gov/policy/nihgps/index.htm
Useful Blogs/ References -https://www.brains-explained.com/things-to-know-starting-postdoc-part-1/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/07/12/an-alternative-approach-to-measuring-community-engagement-in-higher-education/
https://neuronline.sfn.org/professional-development/recognizing-and-addressing-power-dynamics-in-science-and-academia
https://today.duke.edu/2020/03/confronting-power-dynamics-academia
In this Autism Thinks episode, Dr. Nadia Rachdaoui shares her story that highlights the importance of mentoring in academia. She was a faculty member at the Endocrinology Program in the Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University. She narrates incidents that occurred with her mentors at Rutgers, supported by her colleagues, friends, family and others moved by her story. Her story is a story of a true scientist, a story of obstacles and lessons learned along the way— and at the same time, it’s a story of resilience and hope.
Dr. Rachdaoui's Open Letter - https://sites.google.com/view/mentoring-in-academia/home
NIH Re-entry Supplement Links -
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-18-592.html,
https://orwh.od.nih.gov/career-development-education/research-supplements-promote-re-entry-biomedical-and-behavioral
NIH R21 Grant - https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r21.htm
Growing up in Long Island, NY, Khaaliq Crowder is a recent graduate in Journalism from the University of New Haven. He joins us for this fun podcast episode, sharing his experiences as an autistic advocate and media journalist. Highlighting the power of connection, he gives advice for other autistic individuals navigating through college, internships and careers.
Music/ Soundbites featured:
Excerpt from Khaaliq Crowder's video clip from Sirius XM's Sway in the Morning Show ( on Instagram)
Prod. Riddiman - optimistic
Prod. Riddiman - Mixtape - Vintage Hip Hop Freestyle Beat
Arctic Circle Music - Short and Sweet ( LoFi Studying)
TODAY Show - Haley Moss Sets Her Own Limits And Becomes First Autistic Lawyer In Florida
In this podcast, we are amazed by our sensational guests Jamiyl Samuels and Tracy-Ann Samuels. Jamiyl, a creative writer of novels to screenplays, and Tracy-Ann, a social worker and Rutgers alumnus, are the co-founders of The Amazingly Sensational Kids (T.A.S.K), creating children's books that educate, entertain and empower.
As parents of an awesome autistic child named Trey Samuels, they have advocated on behalf of this community with respect to access to education and services, anti-bullying, interfamily communications and social dynamics. The T.A.S.K book series, 'The Amazingly Awesome Amani' and 'Sensationally Super Sandy', are inspired by their son Trey's courageous journey as an autistic child navigating the realities of life through his vivid imagination as well as their super daughter Aja Samuels who supports her brother and advocates for autism acceptance and empowerment.
Links to Resources:T.A.S.K website - https://www.theamazinglysensationalkids.com
W.r.e.a.c Havoc website - https://www.wreachavoconline.com
Google Document with Resources - https://bit.ly/3oBf6gt
Guide to accessing HCBS by ASAN - https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Accessing-HCBS-Guide-v1.pdf
Recent news article related to police reform - https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2021/05/21/mimis-mission-carleton-police-joins-effort-protect-autistic-children/5176600001/
This episode, Elizabeth Rosenzweig shares her story as she pursues her PhD in Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Her thesis research focuses on statistical methods and software development for group-based modeling of longitudinal data using maximum likelihood estimation. She speaks about obstacles she has faced in her life and the importance of believing in yourself and being supported by others who believe in you, especially as an autistic self-advocate.
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In celebration of National Horticultural Therapy week (March 14 - 20, 2021), Rutgers Psychology graduate student, Master Gardener and horticultural therapy intern, Elisabeth Black shares her words of wisdom and experiences with gardening as well as helping her students learn the art and science of gardening.
Elisabeth is also a high school teacher for students with special needs, and teaches several classes with organizations like JoyDew Foundation and schools like New Road School of NJ and Hunterdon Central Regional High School. She is currently studying how horticultural therapy can positively impact individuals, especially her autistic students, using biomarkers and other quantitative methods.
This week, Dr. Daniel Moreno De Luca tells us more about his work as a Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, as well as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. As a physician-scientist, he incorporates genetics research into his clinical practice and uses the field to bring precision medicine to psychiatry.
He tells the story of his journey as a physician-scientist and highlights the importance of representation among individuals of different backgrounds, languages and cultures in the medical field.
JAMA Network Article by Dr. Moreno De Luca —
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2772252?preview=true&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Journal_of_American_Medical_Association_TrendMD_1
This week, Dr. Daniel Moreno De Luca tells us more about his work as a Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, as well as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. He is physician-scientist, incorporating genetics research into his clinical practice and using the field to bring precision medicine to psychiatry.
What you also may not have seen coming is that he is also a rock star! He delves into his recent song, 'Outer Space', inspired by the autistic children and families who have come to his clinic.
JAMA Network Article by Dr. Moreno De Luca —
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2772252?preview=true&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Journal_of_American_Medical_Association_TrendMD_1
This episode, we are joined by the incredible Autism Level Up! team, Dr. Amy Laurent and Dr. Jacquelyn Fede. Dr. Amy Laurent is a developmental psychologist and occupational therapist, specializing in supporting autistic individuals of all ages. Dr. Jacquelyn Fede is a developmental psychologist, assistant research psychology professor and autistic advocate.
This second part of our episode series highlights the importance of play, re-defining what we expect functional play to be, naturally expressing yourself and feeding the need for energy regulation.
Useful Resources mentioned:
Autism Level Up! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AutismLevelUP
Supporting material on the Autism Level Up! website:
https://autismlevelup.com/category/supports-resources/
Power Play Session Info:
https://autismlevelup.com/category/supports-resources/power-plays/
Dr. Jacquelyn Fede's poem 'An Open Letter to Carers of Autistics':
https://www.itcannotbecontained.com/2019/04/an-open-letter-to-carers-of-autistics.html
Dr. Amy Laurent's TED Talk 'Letting Go of Control and Rethinking Support for Autistic Individuals': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx3cfzlCG_Q&feature=youtu.be
This episode, we are joined by the incredible Autism Level Up! team, Dr. Amy Laurent and Dr. Jacquelyn Fede. Dr. Amy Laurent is a developmental psychologist and occupational therapist, specializing in the education of autistic children.
Dr. Jacquelyn Fede is a developmental psychologist, assistant research psychology professor and autistic advocate. Tune in to learn more about leveling up, understanding useful reality and the SCERTS model.
Useful Resources Mentioned
More on the SCERTS model: https://scerts.com/the-scerts-model/
Article on Figuring out your Levels: https://neuroclastic.com/2020/03/26/so-you-want-to-autism-level-up-game-on/
Autism Level Up! Guide: https://autismlevelup.com/the-essential-guide-to-the-autism-level-up-levels/
Autism Level Up! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AutismLevelUP
Supporting material on the Autism Level Up! website:
https://autismlevelup.com/category/supports-resources/
Meg Proctor, MS, OTR/L is an amazing occupational therapist and autism specialist. She joins us today, and speaks to us about her experiences as an occupational therapist as well as her company 'Learn Play Thrive'. Learn Play Thrive provides resources and training sessions for therapists to learn the latest evidence-based practices for supporting autistic individuals.
Listen to the 'Two Sides of the Spectrum' podcast: https://www.learnplaythrive.com/podcast
Paper by Dr. Damian Milton: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Sign up for Meg Proctor's virtual workshop, 'A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism and Behavior' here: https://www.learnplaythrive.com/behavior
Check out Meg's free 50 minute training, Autism-Specific Strategies that Transform OT Practice: https://learnplaythrive.com/masterclass
Learning more about our past ancestors, we can better understand the origins behind the way we think and act. Different traits can be seen passed from one generation to one another in our evolutionary history— Penny Spikins tells us more about how autistic traits have evolved and how they play crucial roles in our survival as a species. As a Professor of Archaeology in York University, she delves into how archaeological evidence can provide reasoning for why neurodivergent cognition or minds came into being, as well as their importance.
To Read More about Professor Spikins' work, here’s a link: https://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/people/academic-staff/penny-spikins/
Paper: “Should Autism Spectrum Conditions Be Characterised in a More Positive Way in Our Modern World?” by B. Wright, P. Spikins and H. Pearson - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7279498/
Conversation Article - https://theconversation.com/how-our-autistic-ancestors-played-an-important-role-in-human-evolution-73477
Have you ever wondered about how we sense the world around us? Keith Perkins, a Neuroscience Scholar and third-year graduate student at the Psychology Department at Rutgers University, has studied the neurobiology of different perceptual systems— from the visual and auditory to his current project in the olfactory system. He also delves into sociological issues surrounding racism that adversely impact students of color in STEM fields. Tune in to listen to his story and motivations behind his incredible translational research.
Rutgers Mind & Mentoring Network - rumindnetwork@gmail.com
Recommended Reading:
nature article, 'What Black scientists want from colleagues and their institutions': https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01883-8
Tune in for an insightful conversation about social cognition, neuroscience and the importance of representation for women in STEM with Dr. Helen Genova. She is the assistant director of the Kessler Foundation's Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and director of the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory. Recently, she was awarded a grant from the NJ Department of Health for a research project that aimed to better prepare autistic adolescents for job interviews. In the study, the young adults were talented and hardworking, but it was often the initial hurdle of having a career-oriented conversation that was challenging.
This week, Dr. Deb Karhson shares her story. She delves into topics that range from neurodiversity to the neural mechanisms behind cognitive development. As a Research Scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, she studies the endocannabinoid system and its role in regulating bodily functions and systems in autistic individuals.
This week, Christina Wilson tells us her story in pursuing her undergraduate degrees in psychology and cognitive neuroscience at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. With passion and purpose, she is motivated to become an inspiration for others, encouraging other students who are excited about math and science to be courageous, and explore different classes and research projects like she has. Our researcher also reflects on impacts of the pandemic and climate on her own community as well as what this semester may look like, as a college senior away from campus.
This episode, we focus on Maribel Patiño's story. Maribel is currently a UC San Diego graduate student studying Neuroscience in the Medical Scientist Training Program. Her research involves developing new circuit mapping technology and investigating the efficiency of monosynaptic rabies tracing. She highlights the disparities underrepresented minorities face in pursuing STEM fields, and gives her invaluable advice and wisdom in not letting naysayers deter your pursuit for a fulfilling career.
In this podcast episode, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu speaks with Hannah about the importance of diversity and representation in the autistic community. Morénike is an autism and HIV advocate and educator. Inspired by themes from the Dragon Ball Z series and Steven Universe, listen for ways to embrace neurodiversity, work towards a world without racial inequality, and support and empower our girls and women.
Sound-bites from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjJJhSZ5bK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPibOwO7CQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tm_I950Zto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkT3FCf4Wks
Dr. Ji-Hye Ryu, from the Sensory-Motor Integration Lab at Rutgers University, explores what it means to have agency. Agency refers to a sense of control over one's self and environment. Examining the internal rhythms of the body, she discovers characteristic signals for conscious, deliberate actions. Thank you to Dr. Antje Ihlefeld for providing the static signal sounds in the introduction, and to Sindu Jacob, Isabel and Jeffrey for your voices.
Have you ever thought about the physics behind how human beings move? Tune into this week's episode to learn more about biomechanics with Dr. Peter Barrance. Dr. Barrance is a Senior Research Scientist at the Kessler Foundation. He directs the Musculoskeletal Biomotion Research Laboratory within the center and additionally, he holds the title of Clinical Research Scientist at Children’s Specialized Hospital. His work with inertial sensors for biofeedback can aid in gait retraining for children with ASD who have difficulty walking.
In this episode, Dr. Walter Zahorodny tells us about his findings in the latest report with the ADDM Network and CDC. He talks about how autism prevalence estimates are increasing in New Jersey as well as disparities in the diagnoses that need to be considered.
To read more about the report, here is a link: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/addm.html
Why is Autism history important and how has this turbulent history had an impact on our current understanding? Award-winning science writer Steve Silberman joins NJACE to offer his insights as we delve into how research has shifted over the years, suggestions for educators and clinicians to help the community, why it’s imperative to listen to autistic adults, what parents should know, and more! As Steve mentions in our discussion, “Everybody who is part of NJACE, and watching this broadcast can do their little bit to push the world forward, and that makes me very hopeful.”
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In this week's episode, Dr. Damiano Zanotto speaks about his work at the Wearable Robotic Systems Lab from the Stevens Institute of Technology. This is a walkthrough of the mechanics of movement, probing into robotics and sensors that help us learn the underlying mechanisms of not just how to move but move more efficiently.
In this episode of Autism Thinks, Hannah speaks with Dr. Antje Ihlefeld about auditory perception. Dr. Ihlefeld, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, is the director of the Neural Engineering of Speech and Hearing (NESH) lab. From cochlear implants to routine audiological testing, this episode delves into discovering ways to improve the understanding of the auditory system— establishing this central theme: you need your brain to hear.
In this episode, stories and thoughts are shared from members of the NJACE team: Director Dr. Elizabeth Torres, Assistant to the Director Richa Rai and Program Manager, Jen Schonger. Their stories resonate with a wide range of perspectives, from managing tasks in graduate studies to balancing work and family, amidst physical distancing.
With the predicaments experienced during the pandemic in the past months, this episode checks in with people in our communities.
This episode shares the stories and thoughts of high school student Adam Tseng, parent and professional at PWC Anne Tseng, and researcher Ji Hye Ryu, PhD graduate from the Rutgers Department of Cognitive Science. They talk about their experiences navigating through unprecedented circumstances and what they are learning from them.