Creative empathy — What children on the Autism can teach us | Clifford D. Saron |

Creative empathy -- What children on the Autism can teach us | Clifford D.  Saron | TEDxBayArea - YouTube


Creative Empathy: What Children on the Autism Spectrum Can Teach Us about Our World When We Enter Theirs. In this talk, UC Davis neuroscientist Clifford Saron links his experience as a parent of a young child on the autism spectrum with scientific understanding of differences in perception and sensory integration in autism. He describes how these differences may contribute to problems in social communication and other challenges for these children. Dr. Saron stresses the need to develop a close understanding of their lived experience to foster connection and create welcoming bridges to the greater world throughout development. More information about Dr. Saron’s research can be found at http://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/people/s….

Clifford D. Saron is an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Mind and Brain and MIND Institute at the University of California at Davis. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1999 under the direction of Dr. Herbert Vaughan. Dr. Saron has had a long-standing interest in the effects of contemplative practice on physiology and behavior. In the early 1990s, he coordinated field research investigating Tibetan Buddhist mind training under the auspices of the Private Office of H. H. the Dalai Lama and the Mind and Life Institute. He has served on the Mind and Life Program and Research Council and been a frequent faculty member at the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute. Dr. Saron is Principal Investigator of the Shamatha Project, a multidisciplinary longitudinal investigation of the effects of long-term intensive meditation on physiological and psychological processes central to well-being, attention, emotion regulation and health.
It was conceived with and taught by Alan Wallace in collaboration with a large consortium of researchers at UC Davis and elsewhere. In 2012, Dr. Saron and his team were awarded the inaugural Templeton Prize Research Grant in honor of H. H. the Dalai Lama to continue work on the Shamatha Project. Dr. Saron’s other research area focuses on uni- and multisensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These studies use electrophysiological and behavioral methods to better understand individual differences in how these children experience their everyday sensory environments. In new research with colleagues at UCSF and, Dr. Saron is exploring how mindfulness-based interventions can ease the chronic stress of mothers of children with ASD in ways that may be beneficial for the mothers, the whole family system, and contribute to a lessoning of difficulties for the affected children.


What is an Autism-friendly community? | Adam Harris

What is an Autism-friendly community? | Adam Harris | TEDxBallyroanLibrary  - YouTube

Adam is AsIAm’s Chief Executive Officer, having held the position since he founded the organisation in 2013.

Adam set up AsIAm based on his own experiences growing up as a young autistic person in Ireland. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome from an early age, the condition was far less  understood or even known as it is today. Having spent his initial school years within the special education stream, he moved to a mainstream school in Second Class and was supported by an SNA. By secondary school age,

Adam began to began to socialise independently in his teenage years. He was nonetheless frustrated at the lack of any real understanding of autism and the many examples of social inclusion which the community are subjected to. This inspired him to establishing AsIAm whilst studying for his Leaving Cert – with the aim of giving autistic people a voice and starting a national conversation.

Over the past five years, he has had the huge honour of meeting so many members of the community around the county who want to help build a more autism-aware and understanding Ireland. A self-confessed workaholic, Adam enjoys public speaking, blogging about all things autistic and helping the many organisations and committees he’s a member of working for autism and inclusion. When he’s off, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, not to mention Harry and Bobby (his dogs!). Adam is AsIAm’s Chief Executive Officer, having held the position since he founded the organisation in 2013.

Autism: give me a chance and I will change everything | Noah Britton |

Autism: give me a chance and I will change everything | Noah Britton |  TEDxNewEnglandCollege - YouTube


Noah Britton attempts to change the way people look at autism by explaining an oft-ignored core trait. Then he does something previously unseen in any talk. Noah Britton is a psychology professor, performance artist, singer, guitarist, clothing designer, and autistic person. He is perhaps most famous for co-founding Asperger’s Are Us, the first comedy troupe composed entirely of autistic people. He has worked directly with people on the autism spectrum since 2005, as therapeutic mentor, camp counselor, and researcher, and served on the US federal government’s Interagency Autism Coordination Committee.

Parents of Children with Special Needs Have Needs, Too | Debra Vines |

Parents of Children with Special Needs Have Needs, Too | Debra Vines |  TEDxOakParkSalon - YouTube


When Debra’s son was born, little was known about what we now refer to as “the spectrum.” She began searching for answers in her under-resourced community but found none. Instead, she found a coping mechanism that changed her life forever. Debra’s TEDx Talk takes us through her quest for answers and how her love for her son drove Debra to make a difference in her community. Debra Vines comes to us from Maywood, Illinois. In 2007, Debra founded

The Answer Incorporated, a nonprofit organization that filled a void that was painfully absent when Debra needed her own answers. The Answer Inc helps parents and caregivers of people with disabilities navigate systems of social services and academic institutions. Debra is passionate about creating change in the lives of persons with Autism and other disabilities. She says her greatest accomplishment has been witnessing families she has aided reach milestones that were once unobtainable.

How Film & TV Misrepresented Neurodiversity

How Film & TV Misrepresented Neurodiversity - YouTube



Film and TV have long failed to depict neurodiverse characters with accuracy – often framing them as the “odd one out” or as autistic savants, like in Rain Man (1988). But lately, as our society learns more about neurodiversity, we have begun to see a change. Nuanced portrayals of neurodiverse characters aim to put us in their shoes and give us a window into how they experience the world differently. Audiences have rallied behind characters such as Abed (Danny Pudi) in Community, and Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Sherlock, reclaiming and celebrating them for providing authenticity to neurodiverse stories.