All Autism Talk

The sudden disruption in routine due to COVID-19 is challenging for all individuals to manage as we adjust to a new, and hopefully short-lived, normal of staying at home and ceasing most of our regular activities. For families of individuals with autism and other disabilities, the disruption can be especially challenging. Richie has a conversation with Katherine Johnson, BCBA and founder of Advances Learning Center to share helpful tips and resources for you and family during this time. Katherine has a Master of Arts degree in Behavior Disorders and Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University Teachers College and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Charter Certificant). Katherine has taught in both private and public schools at pre-school and elementary levels and has provided educational consultation services to public schools and home programs. She has taught undergraduate behavior analysis courses at Northeastern University and graduate level courses at Simmons College, has provided parent training through the May Institute, and is on the Advisory Board for the undergraduate psychology program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Regis College. Katherine also currently serves as Vice President of MassCAP. Resources Discussed: Go Noodle: https://www.gonoodle.com/  Privilege Points: http://www.privilegepoints.com/ For more helpful tips and resources, sign up for our Parent Newsletter at LearnBehavioral.com/parentresources. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).

Dr. Carla Mazefsky is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she is Co-Director of the Center for Autism Research (CeFAR) and the Director of the Regulation of Emotion in ASD Adults, Children, & Teens (REAACT) Research Program. She is a past recipient of the INSAR Ritvo-Slifka Award for Innovation in Autism Research. Her current studies take a lifespan approach, with an emphasis on adolescence and the transition to adulthood.  Her research focuses primarily on emotion regulation and associated mental health and behavioral concerns in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including the mechanisms underlying emotion dysregulation in ASD and the development of new assessment and treatment approaches. She is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Autism and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Conditions, author of the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory, and co-author of the Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) Program.    Susan W. White is Professor and Doddridge Saxon Chair in Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama. Her clinical and research interests include development and evaluation of psychosocial treatments that target transdiagnostic processes underlying psychopathology. She is associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and she the Editor in Chief of the ABCT Series on Implementation of Clinical Approaches. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. She received her PhD from Florida State University. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).

Geraldine Dawson is the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, where she also is Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology & Neuroscience. Dawson is the Director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences whose mission is to promote interdisciplinary brain science and translate discoveries into solutions for health and society.  Dawson also is Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, an NIH Autism Center of Excellence, which is an interdisciplinary research program and clinic, aimed to improve the lives of those with autism through research, education, clinical services, and policy. She has published several books on autism, including An Early Start for Your Child with Autism, A Parent's Guide to High-Functioning Autism, and  What Science Tells Us about Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Dawson's pioneering studies were among the first to describe the emergence of autism symptoms during infancy, leading to new screening tools. Dawson co-created the Early Start Denver Model, an early autism intervention shown to improve behavioral outcomes, which has been translated into 17 languages and is used worldwide. Her work showed for the first time that early intervention can normalize aspects of brain activity in children with autism, changing the field's view of brain plasticity in autism, a finding recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2012. A strong advocate for persons with autism, Dawson has testified a number of times before the US Congress in support of major autism legislation and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services for two terms to the DHHS IACC. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com).

*In this episode we mention a Free Development Screening - details listed below. Date/Time: Saturday, Feb 9th, 9am to 12pm Location: AST Learning Center - West Loop, 670 W. Hubbard St., suite 200, Chicago, IL 60654 RSVP or get more information at 312.635.8989 or email angelina.guzman@autismtherapies.com Sharief Taraman, M.D. is Chief of General Neurology and of the CHOC Children’s Specialists Pediatric Subspecialty Faculty Pediatric Neurology Division. Dr. Taraman is also Chief Medical Officer at Cognoa, Inc., a digital behavioral health company and Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He is board certified in Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and in Clinical Informatics from the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Taraman is a graduate of University of Michigan and Wayne State University. As one of CHOC Children’s Medical Informaticists, he develops and implements technology to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes and is actively involved in CHOC Children’s Medical Intelligence and Innovation Institute. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

Amy Weinstock is offering a free parent workshop on January 31, 2019 in partnership with Advances Learning Center in Wilmington, MA. More information here or email: information@advancesonline.com  Amy Weinstock is the Director of the Autism Insurance Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, and an instructor in the medical school’s Department of Psychiatry. She has an extensive background on insurance issues related to autism and has played a key role in passing several significant pieces of autism insurance legislation in Massachusetts, including the groundbreaking 2010 law requiring health insurance to cover medically necessary treatment for autism. Following a successful career in real estate and banking, Amy, the parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum, decided to merge her personal passions and professional experience. She completed a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center in 2005, where she developed her Capstone project that served as the Blueprint for the 2010 law known as ARICA. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

Molly Ola Pinney is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Autism Project, a nonprofit organization that increases the capacity of local individuals working with children with autism worldwide. The Global Autism Project has grown to an organization that has served ten countries so far and is well on its way to achieving its goal of establishing centers of excellence in 20 countries by year 2020. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for her work, including the Comcast NBC Universal award, the Autism Light Foundation award as well as given the opportunity to ring the NASDAQ bell alongside her staff in 2012. Her recent TEDx talk “Doing things for others doesn’t help” discusses the importance of doing things with people, rather than for them. As a leader in the nonprofit community and international service delivery, Molly has collaborated with multiple organizations to increase their ability to provide quality services to those with autism. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

We are proud to welcome Dr. Hanna Rue to AllAutismTalk for a monthly, in-depth conversation about the latest research and treatment options for individuals on the autism spectrum. Dr. Hanna C. Rue is Head of Clinical Development for AST. She oversees clinical standards and assists in the design and implementation of numerous research projects and staff training protocols. Dr. Rue is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Massachusetts and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  She obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of North Dakota and completed her pre-doctoral training at May Institute. Prior to joining AST she played a leadership role at the National Autism Center and also served as a clinical director for the May Institute’s largest special education school. Dr. Rue also served as Chairperson on the National Standards Project, phase 2. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

David is the founder and CEO of AutonomyWorks. AutonomyWorks is a for-profit, social enterprise that employs people with autism. The company provides outsourced marketing operations support for large marketing organizations, including Reddit, Morningstar, and MediaCom. AutonomyWorks taps into the unique talents of people with autism to deliver exceptional quality and productivity. Prior to this compnany, David had a 25-year career as a marketing executive, including serving as President, Marketing for Sears Holdings and President-Americas at Razorfish. He lives in suburban Chicago with his wife and four kids. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

Debora L. Smith spent more than two decades in marketing and communications before she merged that expertise with the experience she gained raising a son with autism spectrum disorder. Nearly six years ago she founded Autism Resource Mom—a nonprofit organization that provides support, guidance and hope to families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Debora has been actively involved with the autism community in Orange County, CA, for two decades, serving in various positions.  If she’s not at a conference picking up new skills, she’s sharing what she’s learned through speaking engagements and her own instructive workshops. Passionate about helping individuals with challenging behaviors, she has studied and received Tier 1 Training in the Collaborative Problem Solving Approach—and is in the process of becoming a “Certified THINK:KIDS Mentor.” Debora lives in Orange County, California, with her husband, Mike, and together they are learning to come to grips with being empty-nesters. Their son Drew, lives in nearby Costa Mesa and is a film student at Orange Coast College. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.

We are proud to welcome Dr. Hanna Rue to AllAutismTalk for a monthly, in-depth conversation about the latest research and treatment options for individuals on the autism spectrum. Dr. Hanna C. Rue is Head of Clinical Development for AST. She oversees clinical standards and assists in the design and implementation of numerous research projects and staff training protocols. Dr. Rue is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Massachusetts and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  She obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of North Dakota and completed her pre-doctoral training at May Institute. Prior to joining AST she played a leadership role at the National Autism Center and also served as a clinical director for the May Institute’s largest special education school. Dr. Rue also served as Chairperson on the National Standards Project, phase 2. All Autism Talk (allautismtalk.com) is sponsored by Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) (autismtherapies.com), LEARN Behavioral (learnbehavioral.com) and the LEARN Provider Network.