Geneva Centre for Autism

Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou is a child neurologist who has subspecialized in neurodevelopmental disabilities. She completed medical school at McGill University in 1998 and her residency in child neurology in 2003. She subsequently completed a research fellowship in neurodevelopment disabilities at the Seaver Autism Center in New York.

She is currently a Clinician Scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute and an assistant professor at the department of pediatrics at University of Toronto. Her research program focuses on investigating developmental differences in the brains of children with autism using fMRI, MR spectroscopy and DTI techniques and on psychopharmacology of autism. She is also the co editor of the Manual for the Treatment of Autism published by APPI press in 2007.

Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice with the Ziggurat Group. Dr. Aspy specializes in assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She is co-author of the Ziggurat Model, winner of the 2008 Autism Society of America Literary Work of the Year. Dr. Aspy speaks internationally. She has experience in both the clinic and school settings.

Tony is a clinical psychologist who has specialised in autism spectrum disorders since he qualified as a clinical psychologist in England in 1975. He works in private practice in Brisbane, but is also adjunct professor at Griffith University, Queensland.

His book Asperger’s Syndrome – A Guide for Parents and Professionals has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into twenty languages. He has worked with over 3,000 individuals of all ages with Asperger's syndrome. Tony presents workshops and runs training courses for parents, professionals and individuals with Asperger's syndrome all over the world and is a prolific author of scientific papers and books on the subject. His new book The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome was published in October 2006.

 

Christine Besnard is an Associate Professor of Psycholinguistics at York University, Toronto, Canada, as well as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto (Mississauga campus). She is currently working on the Learning of Foreign Languages by high functioning autistic and Asperger Syndrome learners.

She has a 25 year experience in the learning and teaching of foreign languages to regular and exceptional students. She is the author and co-author of a number of articles as well as seven French language manuals. She gives workshops and papers nationally and internationally.

Dr. Teresa Cardon has worked with individuals on the autism spectrum for over 17 years. Dr. Cardon has worked in a variety of settings and has supported thousands of families and their children as they work to improve their social communication skills. Dr. Cardon provides interactive and motivating workshops on a variety of topics internationally. Dr. Cardon recently received her PhD. in Speech & Hearing Science with an emphasis in autism from Arizona State University. Dr. Cardon has written many articles on communication strategies and is the author of Top Ten Tips: A Survival Guide for Families of Children with ASD (2008), Initiations and Interactions (2006), and Let's Talk Emotions (2004).

Taylor Crowe is an artist, animator and self-advocate with autism. He graduated from The California Institute of the Arts in 2007 with a Certificate in Fine Arts in Character Animation. Taylor Crowe is the coauthor and narrator of The View from Here: My Life with Autism, a video documentary describing his insights about the disorder. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous autism conferences and seminars throughout the United States and Canada. He is featured in the 2009 Icelandic documentary film The Sunshine Boy.

Taylor is currently putting the finishing touches on a children’s book about autism he and a friend wrote and illustrated. He is also preparing a series of lectures about a particular area of interest to him, the history of animated theatrical shorts. In 2008 Taylor wrote and animated a short cartoon about the discovery of x-rays for the American Roentgen Ray Society. In his spare time, he paints landscapes.

Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. is Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chief Science Officer at Autism Speaks. Dawson also holds the positions of Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at University of Washington.

Dawson received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders. She has been licensed as a clinical psychologist since 1980.

Dr. Evans is Professor of Psychology and Chair of Neuroscience at Bucknell University, where he has been on the faculty since 1998. Dr. Evans received his M.A. In Child Studies from Tufts University, his PhD from Boston University in 1993. He was an NIH postdoctoral research follow at the Yale Child Study Center from 1993-1995. Trained in developmental psychology Dr. Evans specializes in the development of repetitive, ritualistic and compulsive behaviors. His work examines the cognitive, neuropsychological, emotional and psychophysiological aspects of compulsive behavior in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities as well as in typical children. He is a member of the Society for Research in Child Development. He has published extensively in leading scientific and professional journals, and his work is recognized internationally.

Peter Gerhardt is President, and Chair of the Scientific Council, for the Organization for Autism Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding intervention research in support of individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. Dr. Gerhardt has over 25 years experience utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in support of adolescents and adults with an ASD in educational, employment, and community based settings.

He is the author or co-author of articles and book chapters on the needs of adults with autism spectrum disorder, the school-to-work-transition process, assessment of social competence, and analysis and intervention of problematic behavior. He has presented nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr. Gerhardt received his doctorate from the Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Temple Grandin obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College in 1970. In 1974 she was employed as Livestock Editor for the Arizona Farmer Ranchman and also worked for Corral Industries on equipment design. In 1975 she earned her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University for her work on the behavior of cattle in different squeeze chutes. Dr. Grandin was awarded her Ph.D in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989 and is currently a Professor at Colorado State University.

She has done extensive work on the design of handling facilities. Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat plants. Other professional activities include developing animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry and consulting with McDonalds, Wendy’s International, Burger King, and other companies on animal welfare.

Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and author. He is in private practice with the Ziggurat Group and specializes in assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Grossman, along with Dr. Aspy, wrote The Ziggurat Model—a book on designing interventions for students with Asperger’s Disorder and high-functioning autism. He and his co-author present on this model internationally. The Ziggurat Model has been adopted at the district-wide and state-wide levels.

Dave Hamrick is a 30-year-old man with high-functioning autism who lives in northern Virginia. He is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Washington, D.C. area, and previously held a similar position in the same agency in Jackson, Mississippi, shortly after earning his Masters Degree in meteorology from North Carolina State University. Hamrick has also been in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Lindsey Nebeker, who also has a diagnosis of high-functioning autism. He has also been active within the autism community in the United States by presenting at conferences and workshops about how autism has personally affected him, and also made an appearance in Glamour Magazine and Good Morning America along with Hamrick in February of 2009.

Dr Isabelle Hénault, is a psychologist from the University of Québec at Montréal, Canada. Her practice and studies have focused on providing diagnosis, education and support to children, adolescents, adults and couples living with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

Dr. Hénault has developed a relationships and sex education program, and works with individuals and groups to increase their understanding of sexuality, and conducts relationship counselling. She is presently collaborating on numerous international research initiatives involving socio-sexual education and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Hénault is the author of Asperger's Syndrome and Sexuality: From Adolescence through Adulthood, published by Jessica Kingsley Publisher, London (2005).

Marilyn & Joe Henn are parents of a daughter with significant autism who received APSE‘s 1999 National Supported employment award & ASA’s 2003 National award for “Outstanding Individual with Autism”. They have presented nationally and as keynote speakers on how they developed transition services that let to their daughter’s full-time employment as a mail courier and microfilmer as well as a fully integrated life in the community.

Marilyn Henn, a registered nurse and has received extensive training in behavior management, transition and supported employment from experts across the country.

Annie Hussey is a 21 year old woman with a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, who is now a successful fourth year Psychology student at Toronto's York University. When she is not studying, she shares her life experiences with Aspergers by conducting freelance speaking presentations across the Greater Toronto Area.

She also has had extensive experience dealing with human variety and (dis) ability as she has a sister with a developmental delay. As such, she has also served as friend and mentor to many people with sperger Syndrome, autism and developmental disabilities. Annie attended elementary and secondary school with the Simcoe County District School Board.

Dr. Paula Kluth is a teacher, advocate, and independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. Paula is a former special educator who has served as a classroom teacher and inclusion facilitator. Her research and professional interests include differentiating instruction and supporting students with autism and significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms.

She is the author or co-author of eight books including “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Teaching Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms ; Access to Academics: Critical Approaches to Inclusive Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy,

Nancy Minshew, M.D., is the director of the NIH Autism Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh, director of Pitt’s Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network site and a professor of psychiatry and neurology at Pitt’s School of Medicine. As an internationally known expert in the cognitive, neurological and genetic bases of autism, Dr. Minshew’s groundbreaking research has put the University of Pittsburgh on the map as a national leader in this ever-evolving field. Her research for more than 25 years has focused on increasing the understanding of the cognitive and brain basis of autism, which has led to the conceptualization of autism as a disorder of information processing and brain connectivity. Dr. Minshew received her medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine and was trained as a behavioral child neurologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Michael Moon is an award winning recording artist, composer, and performer with 5 internationally distributed CD’s. He also works as a sound therapist, astrologer, photographer and teaches how to work with sound and music as a healing tool.

Michael was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and has been blessed and challenged by its many symptoms all his life. Through understanding, support, and much inner work Michael has found a way to not only cope, but shine in his so called difficulties. Music and photography became his obsessions, and later his career. Through his art Michael has found both an avenue of self-healing and connection to the outside world as well as a way to help others heal. He is president of The Autism Acceptance Project.

Nineteen year old is a gifted young singer who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age four.Samantha currently attends the University of Toronto in the Bachelor of Performance/Jazz Vocal Program on an academic scholarship.

Her accomplishments include successful vocal performances at Toronto’s Rex Jazz Bar, Toronto’s Walter Hall, the CNE Rising Star Competition, as a headliner with the acappella group, Cruisin’ and as the winner of Malvern Idol 2009. She has been a speaker and singer at numerous fundraising events including Geneva Centre’s International Symposium for Autism 2008, Universal Energies Jack Canfield Seminar 2009 and the Autists Gala 2010.

Lindsey Nebeker is a 28-year-old woman with high-functioning autism who lives in northern Virginia. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, and has also held several jobs, including an office assistant position at a mutual fund company. Nebeker has been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Dave Hamrick, who also has a diagnosis of high-functioning autism. She has been active within the autism community in the United States by presenting at conferences and workshops about how autism has personally affected her, and also made an appearance in Glamour Magazine and Good Morning America along with Hamrick in February of 2009.

Jerry Newport, 62, is an internationally known author, advocate and person with asperger syndrome, married to a wife with asperger syndrome. Both Jerry and Mary are also savants and were featured twice on "Sixty Minutes", the second time after a movie they inspired, "Mozart and The Whale" was approaching its release. Jerry is a 1970 graduate of the University of Michigan. His major interest is in reminding people that " we will outlive you "; his rallying cry for lifetime access to support and services for people with any level of autism.Jerry has accepted an invitation to compete in the Mental Math World Cup in Germany in June of 2010. He will let his audience know the result of that. More information on Jerry's books and activities can be found at Jerry and Mary's website: www.realmozart-whale.com

Daniel Openden, Ph.D., BCBA-D is Vice President and Clinical Services Director for the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) and Faculty Associate in the Division of Curriculum & Instruction, Mary Lou Fulton College of Education at Arizona State University. He received his doctorate in Special Education, Disability, and Risk Studies under the mentorship of Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Openden has worked extensively with families with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders on both federal and state funded research projects; provided consulting and training for school districts across the country; presented research at regional, state, and national conventions; and has been published in peer reviewed journals and book chapters in the field.

Isaac Pessah, Ph.D., obtained his B.S. in Biological Sciences at Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Maryland in 1984. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley from 1984 to 1987 during which time he discovered a family of calcium channels termed ryanodine receptors. Since then, his research and academic interests have spanned the broad area of molecular and cellular mechanisms by which these channel regulate Ca2+ signaling in muscle, neurons, and immune cells. He studies the organization and function the macromolecular complexes regulating ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ channels and how environmental chemicals including PCBs, PBDE’s, reactive quinone metabolites, pesticides and heavy metals influence developmental toxicity through these complexes.

Dr. Robinson is the District Principal of the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD). POPARD is a Ministry of Education service, providing educational, behavioral, and psychological support services to schools in British Columbia. Georgina oversees a diverse staff that includes teachers, psychologists, behavior analysts, and speech and language pathologists. Georgina has worked in the field for over twenty years as a school psychologist, an educational/behavioral consultant, a district counselor, and as a special education teacher.

Diagnosed with "Atypical Development and strong autistic tendencies" and "too sick" for outpatient treatment Dr. Shore was recommended for institutionalization. Nonverbal until four, and with much support from his parents, teachers, wife, and others, Stephen is now a professor at Adelphi University where his research focuses on matching best practice to the needs of people with autism.

In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Stephen presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his books

Dr. Linmarie Sikich is a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related other Communication-handicapped CHildren) and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  She initiated the TEACCH Medical Consultation Clinic, whose goal is to facilitate the integration of biomedical, behavioral and educational treatments for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.  She has also participated in several psychopharmacologic clinical trials for individuals with autism funded by the federal government, Autism Speaks and individual pharmaceutical companies.  Within the NIH-funded STAART (Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment) Psychopharmacology Network, she has played a leadership role and led an important study examining early psychopharmacologic intervention. She is currently active in two trials co-sponsored by autism speaks. 

Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D., a consultant with the Ziggurat Group and Chief of Programs and Development for the Autism Society of America, is the recipient of the 2004 Autism Society of America’s Outstanding Professional Award and the 2006 Princeton Fellowship Award. She has written numerous articles and books on Asperger Syndrome and autism including Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns (with Southwick) and Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success (with Adreon). The latter is the winner of the Autism Society of America’s Outstanding Literary Work. Brenda has made over 500 presentations all over the world, written more than 150 articles and books on autism and Asperger Syndrome, and served as the co-chair of the National ASD Teacher Standards Committee.

Dr. Ann Turnbull is a Distinguished Professor of Special Education and Co-Director of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas. Ann is the author of approximately 150 peer-reviewed articles, 65 chapters, and 31 books. She was selected by the National Historic Preservation Trust (a consortium of the seven leading national organizations in the field of developmental disabilities) to receive the Century Leadership Award as one of 36 individuals over the 20th century who have “changed the course of history for individuals with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities.”

Dr. Turnbull served as the President of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and has participated in leadership roles in many other professional and family organizations.

Master in Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Leuven, Belgium (1985) and PhD in Social Sciences at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands (2002).

From 1987 till 1998 working for the Flemish Autism Association, first as home trainer for families with a child with autism, later as director of the home training centre and finally as trainer / lecturer. Since 1998 working as autism consultant / lecturer at Autisme Centraal.

Co-director of the Centre for Concrete Communication, an European training and education center for autism spectrum disorders. Editor of "Autisme Centraal", bi-monthly magazine of Autisme Centraal. Member of the editorial board of the Belgian-Dutch Journal of Special Education, Child Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology.

 

Michelle Garcia Winner is an SLP who specializes in students with social cognitive deficits. She runs a clinic; authored numerous books, speaks internationally and developed the term “social thinking” along with the related treatment approach. Michelle’s goal is to help educators and parents appreciate how social thinking and social skills is an integral part of students academic, vocational and community success. She was honored with a “Congressional Special Recognition Award” in 2008.