In 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a paper, claiming that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine caused symptoms including intestinal inflammation, among other things that led to the consequent development of autism. This paper was scientifically flawed and even fraudulent due to data misrepresentation. Wakefield claimed that autism arose as a result of intestinal inflammation …
As a researcher, one thing I have always been fascinated with, is how the autistic brain differs from the neurotypical brain. How specific environmental stimuli in the brain of an autistic child compares to the response occurring in a neurotypically-developing child. Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Dr. Geraldine Dawson, the …
Unlike my previous interviews focusing primarily on autism research, I wanted to change things up and address the lack of neurodiversity in the workplace and what some organizations and universities are doing to develop new programs that address this issue. A staggering 75% of adults with autism are unemployed. The Frist Center for Autism and …
Dr. Rebecca Landa, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, is a highly influential autism researcher and the founder of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Some of her research publications include, Longitudinal Effects of Adaptive Interventions With a Speech-Generating Device in …
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr. Wendy Chung, the director of clinical research at SPARK and a supervisor of education in human genetics at Columbia University Medical School as well as a Kennedy Family Professor of Pediatrics in Medicine. By managing the research study of autistic individuals, Dr. Chung evaluates opportunities to …
Continue reading Understanding Autism Through Research – An Interview with Dr. Wendy Chung
This past week I was really happy because my brother came home to visit for a week and a half. The Saturday before he left, my Dad decided that he wanted all of us to go to the beach to see the sunrise. Let’s go back to 6:20 a.m. Saturday morning; everyone is ready to …
I always hear my parents talking to doctors who constantly say, “He’ll grow out of it.” My parents say that my brother will eventually mature and therefore he will better utilize the skills to improve his quality of life. Some studies have found that children who were diagnosed with autism as a toddler may not …
I do not have Autism, but looking at my brother I feel that we sometimes have similar characteristics. I am sensitive to overstimulation. I get frustrated easily when too many things are going on. I become irritable and tend to feel restless in these situations. I often have difficulty identifying my feelings. Hence, I …
Continue reading Why Does My Brother Have an Autism Diagnosis and I Don’t?
When I began high school, I developed a passion for science and research, which led me to learn more about ASD and the science behind it. Growing up with a younger brother with autism, there would always be screaming and arguments. My parents and my brother would scream back and forth like a tennis match. …
This past summer, I came across an article connecting maternal diabetes to autism in the offspring. My Mom was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on December 31, 2000 at the age of 26. Type 1 Diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, runs on my moms side of the family so to be diagnosed at the …
Continue reading Can My Mom’s Diabetes be Related to My Brother’s Autism?
The Real Spectrum 