Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib.

This is the Essentials edition, a 25-minute cut of our conversation with Dr. Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH, an emergency physician, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and father of Siri, a non-speaking young woman with autism. For the full conversation, see the full episode of Biohacking Autism in this feed.

In this edition: what an intensive exercise program did for Siri after she aged out of school at 22, why Uli believes movement acts on the brain through neuroplasticity, how a VR-based exercise system developed for stroke rehabilitation became Cognitive Sensorimotor Therapy, what the n=9 feasibility study measured and what it did not, why a non-speaking person may be able to spell but not speak, how Siri reached the dean's list at College of San Mateo, and the AI Uli is training to reduce the dependence on a trained communication partner.

The full episode adds Uli's story of becoming Siri's father, the outcomes study he is planning, how he uses the AI day to day, the touchless letterboard in development, and his smart-home vision for independence.

Connect with the guest

Sirica Center: https://www.siricacenter.com/

Dr. Uli K. Chettipally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulichettipally

Disclosure

Dr. Chettipally is the founder of Sirica Therapeutics, which develops the exercise system discussed in this episode. The system is currently used as an exercise machine and has not been evaluated by any regulatory body as a treatment for autism. The research discussed was a small feasibility study measuring tolerance, learnability, and enjoyment, not outcomes.

Medical disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing in this episode is a recommendation to start, stop, or change any treatment or medication. Please work with your own qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions for yourself and your child.

Dr. Uli K. Chettipally, MD, MPH, is an emergency physician, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and the father of Siri, a non-speaking young woman with autism. In this episode he explains what an intensive exercise program did for Siri after she aged out of school at 22, why he believes movement acts on the brain through neuroplasticity, and how a VR-based exercise system developed for stroke rehabilitation became Cognitive Sensorimotor Therapy.

We also cover non-speaking autism and spelling to communicate: how a letterboard failed for Siri at seven and worked at eighteen, why Uli believes the challenge is motor planning rather than intelligence, how Siri got to the dean's list at College of San Mateo, and the AI he is training to reduce the dependence on a trained communication partner.

What you'll hear:

- Autism and exercise: what changed in anxiety, focus, and weight after Siri started an intensive program

- Neuroplasticity and autism: the cognitive, sensory, and motor components of the exercise system

- Why a non-speaking person may be able to spell but not speak

- The n=9 feasibility study: what it measured and what it did not

- Presuming competence, RPM, and letterboards

- AI for autism: assistive technology for non-speaking communication

- Uli's vision of independence through technology

Connect with the guest

Sirica Center: https://www.siricacenter.com/

Dr. Uli K. Chettipally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulichettipally

Disclosure

Dr. Chettipally is the founder of Sirica Therapeutics, which develops the exercise system discussed in this episode. The system is currently used as an exercise machine and has not been evaluated by any regulatory body as a treatment for autism. The research discussed was a small feasibility study measuring tolerance, learnability, and enjoyment, not outcomes.

Medical disclaimer

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing in this episode is a recommendation to start, stop, or change any treatment or medication. Please work with your own qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions for yourself and your child.

What’s driving inflammation in autism?

In this Biohacking Autism Essentials edition, Dr. Richard Horowitz walks through the core ideas from his 16-point MSIDS framework and explains how multiple biological systems may contribute to chronic inflammation and symptoms in autism.

This shorter, focused edition covers:

• The 16-point MSIDS framework

• The six “rivers of inflammation”

• Neuroinflammation and microglial activation

• Gut health, leaky gut, and the microbiome

• Mast cell activation and histamine

• Mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell danger response

• Lyme disease and Bartonella

• POTS, dysautonomia, and hypermobility

• Autism biomarkers including NfL, GFAP, CRP, VEGF, tau, and p-tau

• Why different children may have very different biological drivers

Dr. Horowitz’s MSIDS framework was developed for complex chronic illness, not specifically for autism. In this conversation, he explains how he believes the framework may help families and clinicians think more broadly about overlapping contributors to inflammation and chronic symptoms.

This is the shorter Essentials edition. For the complete technical discussion, listen to the Full Episode with Dr. Richard Horowitz.

CONNECT WITH DR. RICHARD HOROWITZ

Get Dr. Horowitz’s new book, Ending Chronic Illness:

https://cangetbetter.com/ending-chronic-illness/

Website:

https://cangetbetter.com/

Medical Detective Substack:

https://medicaldetective.substack.com/

Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire:

https://msidsfoundation.org/questionnaire/

For physicians with questions about complex cases:

[email protected]

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always discuss testing and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional.

Autism inflammation is often discussed as if it were one problem with one cause. In this episode, Dr. Richard Horowitz joins Nadia to walk through his 16-point MSIDS framework for complex chronic illness and discuss how he applies it to questions families and clinicians raise around autism.

The conversation covers what Dr. Horowitz calls the six “rivers of inflammation”: infections, environmental toxins, microbiome disruption, intestinal permeability and mast-cell activation, nutrient deficiencies, and sleep. They also explore mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell danger response, neuroinflammation, POTS and dysautonomia, hypermobility, maternal inflammation, and biomarkers including CRP, VEGF, neurofilament light, GFAP, tau, and p-tau.

Dr. Horowitz explains why he favors a multifactorial, symptom-guided approach rather than assuming one diagnosis has one underlying mechanism. The discussion includes Lyme and Bartonella, mold, gut-brain signaling, histamine and mast cells, mitochondria, and how different symptoms can point clinicians toward different systems to investigate.

The MSIDS framework was developed for complex chronic illness, not specifically for autism. In this conversation, Dr. Horowitz discusses how he believes it may help autism families and clinicians ask broader questions about overlapping contributors to inflammation and chronic symptoms.

Connect with Dr. Richard Horowitz:

Get Dr. Horowitz’s new book, Ending Chronic Illness:

https://cangetbetter.com/ending-chronic-illness/ MSIDS Foundation

Dr. Richard Horowitz’s website:

https://cangetbetter.com/

Medical Detective Substack:

https://medicaldetective.substack.com/ Medical Detective

Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire:

https://msidsfoundation.org/questionnaire/ MSIDS Foundation

For physicians with questions about complex cases:

[email protected]

Medical Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always discuss testing and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional.

This is the 29-minute Essentials edition of my conversation with Dr. Dayan Goodenowe. The full episode, with more on testing, maternal health and where his research is headed, is here: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/dayan-goodenowe-autism-brain-development-plasmalogens/

What does the brain need to build itself, and why does the answer matter for a child with autism and for the parent caring for them?

Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, PhD, is a neuroscientist, biochemist and the founder of Prodrome Sciences. In this condensed edition he walks through the brain as a wiring project: raw wires at birth, myelin as the insulation that lets signals stay separate, and why myelination is adaptive rather than pre-programmed. From there he explains why incomplete myelination can make noise and light overwhelming, why children with autism show reduced white matter on imaging, and where neuroinflammation and mitochondrial stress fit in.

The middle of the conversation is about plasmalogens: what they are, why the body has to make them in peroxisomes, why they cannot be eaten intact, and how the body spends them like a fire blanket on inflammation. Nadia and Dr. Goodenowe then follow the same biology into later life: age as the main driver of cognitive decline, what ApoE4 actually changes, cortical thickness as the brain's muscle, and why a baseline measurement matters more than a diagnosis.

IN THIS EDITION

• The brain as a wiring diagram: axons, synapses and myelin
• Why myelination is adaptive, and why deep sleep is part of it
• Sensory overload explained through incomplete myelination
• We learn by receiving: what that changes for parents
• What plasmalogens are and why the brain needs them
• Why plasmalogens cannot be eaten intact
• Neuroinflammation, white matter and resilience in autism
• Autism and Alzheimer's as two ends of the same biology
• Age, ApoE4 and when dementia starts
• Cortical thickness: the brain's muscle
• Baseline testing without obsessing over it

CONNECT WITH DR. DAYAN GOODENOWE

Dr. Dayan Goodenowe is a neuroscientist and biochemist, the founder of Prodrome Sciences, founder of Dr. Goodenowe's Dietary Therapeutics, and the author of Breaking Alzheimer's.

Dr. Goodenowe's education site: https://drgoodenowe.com

Prodrome Sciences (for practitioners): https://prodrome.com

Dr. Goodenowe has a financial interest in Prodrome Sciences and in plasmalogen products discussed during this conversation.

FULL EPISODE

Episode 34, the complete conversation: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/dayan-goodenowe-autism-brain-development-plasmalogens/

Episode 28 (solo, hormones and lipids), where this conversation was first previewed: https://biohackautism.com/podcast/autism-blood-work-thyroid-hormones-insulin/

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol.

Several compounds and tests discussed in this episode are investigational or are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The plasmalogen precursor program described is in a pre-IND stage of an FDA-regulated development pathway. Biohacking Autism does not provide individualized treatment protocols, dosing instructions, or sourcing guidance for regulated compounds.

What does the brain need to build itself, and why does the answer matter for a child with autism and for the aging brain?

In this episode of Biohacking Autism, Nadia Elkhatib talks with Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, PhD, neuroscientist, biochemist and founder of Prodrome Sciences, about autism brain development, white matter and myelination, mitochondrial dysfunction and brain inflammation in autism, and the lipid raw materials the brain needs to build itself, plasmalogens among them.

Dr. Goodenowe reframes the developing brain as a wiring project. Myelin is the insulation that lets signals stay separate, and he explains why incomplete myelination can make a crowded room, a bright store or a loud classroom feel like every conversation arriving at once. He describes what he sees in the white matter of children with autism, why he views many autism-related changes as adaptation rather than attack, and where mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation fit in.

From there the conversation turns to plasmalogens: what they do in the brain, why the body has to make them in peroxisomes, why you cannot simply eat them intact, and what plasmalogen precursors are. Nadia and Dr. Goodenowe then follow the same biology into the second half of life: cortical thickness as the brain's muscle, ApoE4 as a question of when rather than whether, what he measures in his testing and imaging work, and why caregiver brain health across decades belongs in the autism conversation.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The brain as a wiring diagram: axons, synapses and myelin
• Why myelination is adaptive and why deep sleep is part of it
• Sensory overload explained through incomplete myelination
• White matter, the corpus callosum and imaging in autism
• Mitochondrial dysfunction and brain inflammation in autism
• Maternal metabolic health, discussed without blame
• What plasmalogens are and why they matter for the brain
• Why plasmalogens cannot be eaten intact, and what precursors are
• Autism and Alzheimer's as two ends of the same biology
• Cortical thickness, brain volume and the aging brain
• ApoE4 and when dementia starts, rather than whether
• Testing, biomarkers and what a caregiver in their fifties might measure
• The Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan community study

CONNECT WITH DR. DAYAN GOODENOWE

Dr. Dayan Goodenowe is a neuroscientist and biochemist, the founder of Prodrome Sciences, founder of Dr. Goodenowe's Dietary Therapeutics, and the author of Breaking Alzheimer's.

Dr. Goodenowe's education site: https://drgoodenowe.com

Prodrome Sciences (for practitioners): https://prodrome.com

Dr. Goodenowe has a financial interest in Prodrome Sciences and in plasmalogen products discussed during this conversation.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol.

Several compounds and tests discussed in this episode are investigational or are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The plasmalogen precursor program described is in a pre-IND stage of an FDA-regulated development pathway. Biohacking Autism does not provide individualized treatment protocols, dosing instructions, or sourcing guidance for regulated compounds.

More than 600 companies are building autism technology, yet most families have never heard of them.

This 20-MIN ESSENTIALS edition condenses my conversation with Dan Feshbach, founder of Multiple and co-founder of TeachTown, into the core ideas families need most.

Dan and I explore AI for autism, AAC, assistive technology, communication tools, sensory technology, and what it will take for useful technology to actually reach families.

We also talk about why autism technology needs to move at the “speed of family,” why families need trusted tools rather than more shiny objects, and how emerging technology could support communication, work, connection, and greater independence.

Dan shares the deeply personal reason this work matters to him. During a letterboard session, his son Reed described his experience in four words: “I live in silence.”

His vision of a normal life was not about technology itself. It was about friendship, meaningful work, communication, independence, and being able to move through the world more freely.

IN THIS ESSENTIALS EDITION:

• Why autism technology needs to move at the “speed of family”

• How AI can accelerate development and testing

• Why 600+ autism technology companies remain largely invisible to families

• The “first mile of capital” problem in autism innovation

• Why families need trusted tools, not more shiny objects

• AI-powered communication and support tools

• Sensory eyewear and screen-free regulation technology

• AAC and communication support for nonspeaking people

• AI and biomedical pattern recognition

• Brain-computer interfaces

• Why technology should support a person's life, not become the life

• Why waiting another 15 years for meaningful solutions is unacceptable

WATCH THE FULL 67-MINUTE CONVERSATION:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZjnQwfAhk0

CONNECT WITH DAN FESHBACH

Multiple:

https://www.multiplehub.org/

Multiple Autism-Tech Database:

https://www.multiplehub.org/autism-tech-database

CONNECT WITH BIOHACKING AUTISM

Website:

https://biohackautism.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/biohackautism/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiaelkhatib/

DISCLOSURE

Dan Feshbach is the founder of Multiple and discusses companies and initiatives connected to Multiple's accelerator and autism-innovation ecosystem. Biohacking Autism has not independently evaluated or endorsed the companies, apps, devices, technologies, or research programs discussed in this episode.

DISCLAIMER

This program is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol. Emerging technologies and research discussed in this episode may be investigational, early-stage, or not yet validated for autism.

More than 600 companies are building autism technology, yet most families have never heard of them. What could change if AI, communication tools, sensory technology, and future neurotechnology reached the people who need them?

Dan Feshbach, founder of Multiple and co-founder of TeachTown, joins Nadia Elkhatib to explore the hidden world of autism technology. They discuss what families actually need from innovation, why strong ideas often fail before they reach daily life, and how technology may support communication, connection, regulation, employment, and independence.

Dan also shares the deeply personal experience that shaped his work. During a letterboard session, his son Reed described his experience in four words: “I live in silence.” His vision of a normal life was not about technology itself. It was about friendship, meaningful work, communication, independence, and being able to move through the world more freely.

In this episode:

• Why more than 600 autism technology companies remain largely invisible to families

• AI and autism, including pattern recognition, faster prototyping, and the limits of current systems

• AAC for autism and communication support for nonspeaking people

• Assistive technology for autism, including augmented reality, sensory tools, haptic devices, distraction-filtering eyewear, and digital support characters

• Why technology should support a person’s life rather than become the life

• What makes a useful tool different from a shiny object

• Why autism innovation faces a “first mile of capital” problem

• What Multiple looks for in founders applying to its accelerator

• What mission-aligned investors, donors, mentors, and limited partners can contribute

• The future of brain-computer interfaces and minimally invasive communication technology

• Why families cannot wait another 15 years for meaningful solutions

CONNECT WITH DAN FESHBACH AND MULTIPLE

Multiple:

https://www.multiplehub.org/

Multiple Autism-Tech Database:

https://www.multiplehub.org/autism-tech-database

CONNECT WITH BIOHACKING AUTISM

Website:

https://biohackautism.com/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@BiohackingAutism

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/biohackautism/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiaelkhatib/

Follow Biohacking Autism on your podcast app, and share this episode with someone who wants a clearer view of the technology, communication tools, and innovation being built for people with autism.

DISCLOSURE

Dan Feshbach is the founder of Multiple and discusses companies and initiatives connected to Multiple’s accelerator and autism-innovation ecosystem. Biohacking Autism has not independently evaluated or endorsed the companies, apps, devices, technologies, or research programs discussed in this episode.

MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL DISCLAIMER

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child’s protocol. Emerging technologies and research discussed in this episode may be investigational, early-stage, or not yet validated for autism.

ABOUT BIOHACKING AUTISM

Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib explores complex questions affecting people with autism and the families who love them. Through expert conversations, lived experience, and evidence-aware discussion, the podcast examines communication, nervous-system regulation, caregiver health, emerging research, technology, and the practical decisions families face every day.

A shorter, focused edition of our full John Slattery conversation.

Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, has become one of the most discussed topics in autism research. John Slattery, co-author of the 2018 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of folinic acid in children with autism and language impairment, joins Nadia Elkhatib to explain the essential findings in about 24 minutes.

They cover what the trial actually measured, why language and communication mattered, folate receptor alpha autoantibodies (FRAAs), FOLR1, how folate reaches the brain, the reduced folate carrier, testing, and why some children may respond while others do not. John also clarifies what the FDA actually approved in 2026 — FOLR1-related cerebral folate transport deficiency — and why that is not the same as a broad FDA approval of leucovorin for autism.

The conversation also addresses a practical question many families raise when their own clinician is unfamiliar with leucovorin, and John describes the access model being developed by Meadow Biosciences. This discussion is descriptive and educational; Biohacking Autism does not provide prescribing or medication-acquisition services.

Want the complete science and context?

Watch the full 1:41 conversation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP-Rm0XOLsg

Connect with John Slattery

Meadow Biosciences: https://www.meadowbiosciences.com/

Research & References

2018 Molecular Psychiatry randomized trial:

https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2016168

FDA — FOLR1-related cerebral folate transport deficiency approval:

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-patients-cerebral-folate-transport-deficiency

American Academy of Pediatrics — leucovorin and autism interim guidance:

https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/autism/use-of-leucovorin-in-autistic-pediatric-patients/

Disclosure

John Slattery is Co-founder, President, and CEO of Meadow Biosciences and has disclosed advisory relationships with BioTess Ingredients, Tesseract Medical Research, and Advanced Powder Dynamics. These relationships are disclosed for transparency.

Medical Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice or an individualized treatment recommendation. Leucovorin is a prescription medication. Individual testing and treatment decisions should be made with a qualified healthcare professional who knows the person’s medical history.

Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, has become one of the most discussed topics in autism research. John Slattery, co-author of the 2018 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of folinic acid in children with autism and language impairment, joins Nadia Elkhatib to separate the research from the noise.

They unpack what the trial actually measured and found; why folate receptor alpha autoantibodies (FRAAs) may matter; how FOLR1, cerebral folate deficiency, the folate receptor, and the reduced folate carrier affect folate transport to the brain; and why testing has to be interpreted in the context of the individual.

John also explains the connections among folate metabolism, methylation, redox balance, and mitochondrial biology, along with the uncertainty around responder and non-responder profiles.

They clarify the FDA’s 2026 approval of Wellcovorin (leucovorin calcium) for FOLR1-related cerebral folate transport deficiency — and why that is not the same as a broad FDA approval for autism.

Connect with John Slattery

Meadow Biosciences: https://www.meadowbiosciences.com/

Research & References

2018 Molecular Psychiatry randomized trial:

https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2016168

FDA — FOLR1-related cerebral folate transport deficiency approval:

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-patients-cerebral-folate-transport-deficiency

American Academy of Pediatrics — leucovorin and autism interim guidance:

https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/autism/use-of-leucovorin-in-autistic-pediatric-patients/

Disclosure

John Slattery is Co-founder, President, and CEO of Meadow Biosciences and has disclosed advisory relationships with BioTess Ingredients, Tesseract Medical Research, and Advanced Powder Dynamics. These relationships are disclosed for transparency.

Medical Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice or an individualized treatment recommendation. Leucovorin is a prescription medication. Discuss testing and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional who knows the person’s medical history.