Autism Thinks

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.”

Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/NJAutismCent...
Take a look at our website, where we post the latest in NJ Autism News https://njace.us
Join our mailing list to keep up-to-date with our center https://tinyurl.com/njace-contact

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.