Exploring Different Brains

Mentra CEO & co-founder Jhillika Kumar discusses their work creating a platform to connect neurodiverse talent with employers.

Jhillika Kumar is the co-founder and CEO of Mentra, a Georgia Tech graduate, and honorary degree recipient, and previous Grace Hopper Keynote speaker for neurodiversity empowerment. Jhillika’s passion for neurodiversity advocacy stems from her life experiences growing up as the sister of a nonspeaking autistic individual named Vikram and ADHDer herself. After 27 years of being unable to communicate his thoughts, Vikram learned how to type through an accessible letterboard. Uncovering his vast intelligence and eloquence inspired Kumar her to search for a solution to the need to empower those who society has overlooked.

At Georgia Tech, Kumar partnered with Conner Reinhardt to found Mentra: the world’s largest neurodiversity employment network. After understanding the innate barriers to employment through community driven research, Mentra focused on the candidate experience to built a tech-platform that intelligently matches neurodiverse individuals with inclusive companies that value their unique abilities.

For more about Mentra:

https://www.mentra.me/

https://www.instagram.com/mentrateam/

https://twitter.com/mentrateam

https://www.facebook.com/mentra.me/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mymentra

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Jessica Kidwell of the Neuroversity Podcast discusses why listening to and highlighting the voices of neurodivergent self-advocates is so important.

From Jessica’s bio: “Jessica Kidwell has been a lot of things. A freelance writer, a preschool teacher, a government employee, a bartender, a waitress, a lifeguard, and most recently, a podcaster. She is the host of the brand new podcast, Neuroversity, a space to learn about and elevate the stories of the neuro-diverse community. She is also the co-host of the podcast We Should Talk About That, which aims to connect people by having hard conversations about uncomfortable topics in a vulnerable and safe way. She believes that you never know where life will lead you and that staying open to possibilities is the only way to live. When she is not editing a podcast, promoting a podcast, thinking about a podcast, prepping for a podcast, or long pausing in a podcast, she loves spending time with her family and friends, not being in charge of deciding what’s for dinner, and constantly searching for ways to get more ‘self care’ into her life. She is married to a Renaissance man and has two children who are already smarter and funnier than her.”

For more about Jessica’s work:

https://www.neuroversitypod.com/

https://www.westatpod.com/

And look for her on Instagram:

@kidwelljessica

@neuroversitypod

@westatpod

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BUSM’s Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion Dr. Angelique Harris discusses her work ending stigma in higher education.

Dr. Angelique C. Harris is Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Boston University School of Medicine and is an Associate Professor in General Internal Medicine, in the Department of Medicine. They also serve as the Executive Director of Faculty Development for Boston University Medical Campus. Dr. Harris works to design, implement, and lead innovative programs and initiatives aimed at providing and promoting more equitable learning and working environments for faculty, staff, and students around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. An applied medical sociologist, Dr. Harris’s areas of research include race and ethnicity, gender and sexualities, health and illness, social movements, cultural studies, urban studies, and media studies. More specifically, they examine how groups construct health issues and how the structural marginalization and stigmatization they experience impact their experiences with health care. Dr. Harris has authored and co-authored dozens of books, articles, and essays, including Womanist AIDS Activism in the United States: “It’s Who We Are” (Roman & Littlefield, 2022), Queer People of Color: Connected but Not Comfortable (Lynne Rienner, 2018) and the Intersections of Race and Sexuality (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) book series.

For more about Dr. Harris’ work:

https://www.bumc.bu.edu/medicine/profile/angelique-harris/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelique-Harris

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Positive Development’s Dr. Jennie Trocchio, Dr. Lina Moyano & Yomayra Mora-Perea share their work creating a new option in therapy for neurodivergent individuals.

Dr. Jennie Trocchio is an autism educator, speaker, Developmental Therapist, and Vice President of Clinical Operations at Positive Development. Lina Maria Moyano, Ed.D., L.C.S.W. is an Autism Mental Health Care Professional and Clinical Director (Florida) at Positive Development. Yomayra Mora-Perea is a Neurodiversity Advocate and Business Development Manager (Florida) at Positive Development.

Positive Development’s mission is to “…help people with autism and other developmental differences build connections and shape their futures.” Positive Development follows the Developmental Relationship-Based Intervention (DRBI) model. From their website: “We help people with autism and other developmental differences build connections and shape their futures…”

“…Started in 2019, [the company] is rooted in decades of experience with autism and other developmental differences. [Their team members] are parents, family members, self-advocates, and clinicians who believe deeply in the power of the developmental approach because [they] have seen firsthand how it has transformed [their and their] loved ones’ lives. [Their] passion… is to build the evidence base for developmental therapy, expand access to more families, and pioneer best practices for clinical support and care for individuals.”

For more about Positive Development:

https://www.positivedevelopment.com/

And look for them on the social media at:

https://twitter.com/PositiveDev

https://www.linkedin.com/company/positive-development-inc/

https://www.instagram.com/positivedevelopmenttherapy/

https://www.facebook.com/positivedevelopmenttherapy/

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Mara Myers shares her son’s journey with the autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder known as PANDAS.

Mara Myers is a registered nurse, and the mom of a young son with PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. According to the NIMH: “a child may be diagnosed with PANDAS when: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), tic disorder, or both suddenly appear following a streptococcal (strep) infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever; or, the symptoms of OCD or tic symptoms suddenly become worse following a strep infection. The symptoms are usually dramatic, happen “overnight and out of the blue,” and can include motor or vocal tics or both and obsessions, compulsions, or both. In addition to these symptoms, children may become moody or irritable, experience anxiety attacks, or show concerns about separating from parents or loved ones.”

Mara can be contacted through her family’s practice: http://www.spinesolutionsfl.com/

For more on PANDAS: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas

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Developmental therapist Dr. Jennie Trocchio shares how DRBI therapy can help autistic individuals thrive and build great connections.

Dr. Jennie Trocchio is an autism educator, speaker, Developmental Therapist, and Vice President of Clinical Operations at Positive Development. Positive Development’s mission is to “…help people with autism and other developmental differences build connections and shape their futures.” Positive Development follows the Developmental Relationship-Based Intervention (DRBI) model.

Jennie is a Maryland native located in sunny South Florida. With a Bachelor’s from University of Miami in Special Education and Creative Writing and a Master’s in Exceptional Student Education and Reading, Jennie worked in special education in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. During this time she developed a focus on autism and was introduced to DIR/Floortime approach. This model was put into practice at CasaBlanca Academy, a non-profit school for students with autism, where Jennie became the lead teacher, Director of Education and later the President of the Board of Directors.

In 2013, Jennie graduated with a Ph.D. from Barry University in Special Education and Leadership with a focus in Autism. Her research included a collaboration with Dr. Rick Solomon, the Medical Director of the P.L.A.Y Project in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2014, Jennie left her role at the school, and is currently teaching the autism courses at Barry University and Lynn University. She is certified in DIR/Floortime, PLAY Project and Teaching PLAY.

For more about Jennie’s work:

https://www.positivedevelopment.com/

https://www.drjennie.co/

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Stanford University student & researcher Lauren Clarke, BS, MHA discusses why doctors need more education in neurodiversity.

Lauren is a joint MD/MA in Education student at Stanford University working towards improving the quality of medical education related to caring for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also takes pride in supporting and mentoring other medical students who are advocating for a more inclusive model of medical education. Lauren is a graduate of the MHA program at the University of Southern California and completed a LEND Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She is also presently an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, partnering with medical students to work with self-advocates and their family members to develop, publish, and disseminate an accessible collection of community-based resources that are accommodating of people with intellectual disabilities.

Lauren is passionate about inclusive health and aims to increase the quality of medical care received by people, specifically adults, with intellectual and developmental disabilities through improving medical education and streamlining the process of healthcare delivery.

For more about Lauren:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/l-clarke/

https://twitter.com/laurenclarkemha

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Gabriel Axel Montes, Ph.D. shares his work maximizing the brain’s potential through technology.

Gabriel Axel Montes, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, consciousness educator, leadership coach, and facilitator of personal and organizational development and transformation.

Drawing from over a decade of neuroscience and consciousness research and experience as a facilitator, Gabriel taps latent human capability to optimize processes and unlock value from existing resources and human capital. He works to address today’s global complexities and risks through the application of practicable neuroscience- and psychology-informed models and tools that elucidate the subtle habitual patterns at the root of inefficiencies. In his work, Gabriel promotes and teaches meta-learning—the capacity of “learning to learn”, adapt, grow, change, and collaborate— to maximize human capability during organizational change.

Gabriel helps organizations synergize the relationship between human capital and technology implementation during digital transformation. He has worked with SingularityNET, the world’s premiere decentralized Artificial [General] Intelligence (AGI) organization, first by managing the initial $36 million fundraise as part of the launch team, and more recently he served as Head of People, leading a doubling of people count during a rapid growth phase and facilitating organizational development, collaboration, and well-being among its staff. Gabriel has conducted research in various subfields of neuroscience and published seminal work on the crucial role of neuroscience and consciousness in the design and ethics of (AGI) and virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Gabriel is bilingual (English & Spanish), an author, and an international speaker for diverse audiences on the intersection of consciousness, technology, and human culture, working and presenting at Harvard, Stanford, among various universities. Gabriel is a long-time mind-body/consciousness practitioner and instructor, eclectic experimental musician, and world traveler.

For more about Gabriel’s work, visit:

http://www.gabrielaxel.com/

https://linktr.ee/gabrielaxel

https://twitter.com/gabrielaxel

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Dr. Janice Ryan shares how awareness of sensory issues improves therapy for the neurodivergent.

Dr. Janice Ryan is the Founder and Director of Attunement Solutions, LLC. She is a Doctor of Occupational Therapy, a Human Systems Dynamics Professional and has over thirty years of professional experience with changing lives.

Dr. Ryan has been an occupational therapist for over 30 years and has been researching body, mind, and spirit aspects of human systems dynamics since beginning her doctoral education in 2004. She also began practicing compassion mindfulness that year.

Janice specializes in mental and cognitive health over the lifespan and applies a mindful therapeutic approach to treatment that has also been called compassion-focused therapy. She earned her Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Women’s University in 1985 and Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in 2007.

As a Certified Human Systems Dynamics Professional, the “Adaptive Action” model is Janice’s mindfully present intervention plan. It is by seeing, understanding, and positively influencing current patterns that adaptation and system self-organization can be facilitated in a client or learner by the practitioner or teacher.

To learn more about Dr. Ryan’s work:

https://attunementsolutions.com/

https://www.sensory.health/

https://aamse.us/

For Helen: The Journal of Human Exceptionality visit: https://helenjournal.org/

For more about the Human Systems Dynamics Institute: https://www.hsdinstitute.org/

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Self-advocate Ryan Lundy shares his experiences with NVLD - Nonverbal Learning Disorder.

Ryan Lundy is a self-advocate for NVLD (Nonverbal Learning Disorder / Disability). He is also a teacher’s assistant at the Els Center for Excellence with Autism, and a special ambassador for the NVLD Project, an organization dedicated to raising awareness, building support, and creating helpful solutions for children, adolescents, and adults with NVLD.

To find out more about the NVLD Project, visit: https://nvldproject.org/

To get in touch with Ryan, email him at: [email protected]

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