Spectrum Perspectives

Christopher Manente-Rutgers Center for Autism Services

Meet Dr. Christopher Manente, the director of the Center for Autism Services at Rutgers University in NJ. We talk about what has been lacking in the system and how he'd like to address it, including creating a new job field and courses to specifically train people in how to work with people on the spectrum. He also shares his own journey related to challenges that he has encountered as a neurodivergent person himself. Then meet Elizabeth, who is also on the spectrum and works at the center, and finally get a tour of the facility itself. To see the photos and video of the center, go to our Robbie's World page on YouTube.

Dr. Richard Boles- Geneticist- What is the cause of Autism?

Dr. Boles is a Pediatrician and Geneticist, who works with patients with Autism. He says all disorders have a genetic and environmental component. Autism has a genetic component, but most of it is not inherited, it's "de novo", a new mutation. In this interview he discusses the 4 channels of Mitochondria, Cations, inflammation and neurotransmission. After he tests the genetics of his patients he has found that many of their symptoms are treatable, and has developed NeuroNeeds nutritional supplements to help treat Autism. Find him at MolecularMitoMD.com

Dr Stephen Kolesk, Woods Healthcare, Still does housecalls!

Dr. Kolesk talks about the new center being built within RWJ Hospital in Hamilton NJ for people with Special Needs where doctors and specialists will be able to all be in one location and discuss a patient's care as a team. He is also available for Telehealth consultations and still makes house calls! His contact info is Stephen.Kolesk@Woods.org

Woods Healthcare Facility for Special Needs in Langhoren, PA

Meet Ryan and Jared from Woods Healthcare. It's a medical facility in Langhorne, PA that specializes in healthcare for people with Special Needs bringing all types of medical care under one roof! The Medical Center has multiple doctors including Neurology, Optometry, and Gynecology. They also have a Dental Care facility and Mental/Behavioral Health Center. Parents can come get their kids an Autism diagnosis in the Behavior Health facility where there is currently no waiting list!

Circle Care Services- ABA Therapy, what it is, and what it's not

When a child is first diagnosed with Autism, the first thing parents are told to do is to get their kids into ABA therapy. But when they look on-line they start to get confused about what it is, find conflicting reviews, and get scared. So what is ABA, and what is it NOT, and what's the controversy? Let's talk about it.

ABA Roundtable Discussion- The good and the bad sides of ABA Therapy

Group discussion about ABA Therapy. Alexandra has twin boys who are non-speaking and use Spelling to communicate. She has had bad experiences with ABA therapy where both her boys were restrained several times at school. The problem is, the school refused to allow them to use their preferred method of communication, which upset the boys. ABA only deals with "behaviors" but does not get to the CAUSE of the behaviors. Honey, on the other hand, has had a wonderful experience with her ABA Therapist who worked with her son Vincent. So in this video Alexandra, Honey, her son Vince and his ABA Therapist Heidi all join together to have a discussion about the good, the bad an the ugly sides of ABA.

Lisa Sosnowski- Son has PTSD from ABA and being restrained for 3 hours at school

Lisa's son has the typical story, multiple ear infections and a regression and gut issues. When he was in a school that used strict ABA he was injured after being held down for over 3 hours. He now has PTSD and needed to go through trauma therapy. She now is starting the Spectrum Tech Trade School and Village to help you adults fund employment. She says "Don't listen to anyone who says your kid can't do anything!"

Andrew Shahan- Autism Coach says "ABA Needs to Go Away"

Andrew is a Child Development Specialist who has been working in the field of Autism for over 30 years. We discuss the past, present and future of teaching methods and therapies typically used, including the use of ABA Therapy. Andrew says we need to take a look at the “System”, what works and what doesn’t, be open to change and ways to improve the way things are being done.

Amanda Spagnoletti- Mom says "Autism diagnosis needs to be split up"

In Part 2 of our interview, Cindy and Amanda discuss how the diagnosis of autism has changed over time. We have heard people use the words “Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3”, and Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound Autism. But now it all seems to be under the same umbrella term of “autism”, and we no longer can use the word “Asperger’s Syndrome”. Amanda believes too much attention is paid publicly to mild, high functioning autism, and not enough to those who are severe like her son, and it could hurt him in the long run. She says the term is so broad now that it’s meaningless. 

Amanda Spagnoletti- Mom says "Autism Diagnosis needs to be split up" Part 1

Amanda is the mom of a 5 year old son with Autism. She says Nick had almost 50 words when he turned 2, and within months he regressed to only saying 5 words. He also began to lose his receptive understanding of language as well. Most of his speech is called “Scripting”, where he repeats lines he hears on TV or music lyrics. So even though he can speak, he doesn’t really understand what he is saying. She says that autism just not just affect the individual, it affects the whole family, and parents should not be silenced by the ⁠#actually⁠ autistic community.