Dr. David Ruttenberg is truly the Jack of all trades. From child piano prodigy to GRAMMY™️-producer to Amazon best-selling author to earning two undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and music, Dr. Ruttenberg has done it all. The ultimate career, however, was becoming a father at age 40. As older parents, Dr. Ruttenberg and his wife …
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SCN1A stands for sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 1 and the gene that encodes this channel is part of a family of genes that provides instructions to make sodium channels, which are essential in cellular signaling. SCN1A in particular encodes a sodium channel called NaV1.1 which is found in the brain. During this past school …
Madge Woollard, an autistic pianist, said, “A lot of us autistic people don’t really fit in socially, and I think this extends to ideas around gender.” As unlikely as it may sound, there is some evidence that individuals with autism are more likely than others to experience gender dysphoria, or distress related to gender incongruence. …
Continue reading Why are Gender Identity Conflicts More Common in Individuals with ASD?
Research on autism spectrum disorder offers opportunities to study specific genetic mutations that could potentially reveal biological insights into the development of autism. Consistent with this, researchers have created lists of hundreds of studied risk genes for autism. The vast majority of autism cases are the result of multiple genetic and biological factors (Singer, n.d.). …
Continue reading SCN2A: A Top Candidate Gene Linked to Autism
For the past several months, yoga has been a great way for me to cope with stressors, whether that be feeling anxious about a test, worrying about girl drama, or simply just going to work on myself emotionally and physically. I take an hour out of my day to unplug and be mindful about myself …
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Dr. Maja Mataric is at the forefront of innovative therapies for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Combining her skills in engineering and her passions in helping people, she has worked for over 20 years to improve human quality of life. To improve human life, she has created human-centered technologies, including socially-assistive robots for those with …
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The Nature vs. Nurture Debate Nature vs nurture has been a debate for centuries, even going back to the medieval French. As Francis Galton stated in 1874, “[nature vs. nurture] is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed. Nature is all that …
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Dr. Sneha Kohli Mathur is an ally. She created a company, Spectrum Success, to provide adolescents and adults on the Autism Spectrum with numerous services to improve their quality of life. They offer consultation services for parents, adults, colleges, and parents. A founding member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion SIG in ABA, Dr. Mathur …
If you look up the most influential autism researchers, Dr. Connie Kasari Ph.D., Professor of Human Development and Psychology at UCLA is on that list. A founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA, Dr. Kasari aims to develop new and evidence-based intervention strategies for children with ASD that can be …
Walking out of the elevator, I was greeted with bursts of color along the hallways of the Toby and Leon Cooperman Therapy and Family Resource Center. Feeling like a child once again, I followed the pathways along the tiles across the floor, putting me at ease. A tactile wall with different materials lines the hallway, …
Continue reading Therapies and Resources at the Toby and Leon Cooperman Center