Autism Thinks

Babies on the Move: The origins and importance of spontaneous movements with Professor Christa EinspielerJoin 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 ris...

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. Ful...

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 r...

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 Nadia https://nutrargan.comDr. Rachdaoui's Open Letter https:/...

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...

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)...

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-bu...

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.Follow us ...

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 ...

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 back...