ASPEN Professional Advisory Board

Jed Baker, Ph.D., is the director of the Social Skills Training Project, a private organization serving individuals with autism and social communication problems. He is a behavioral consultant for several New Jersey School systems, where he provides social skills training for students with pervasive developmental disorders, emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

In addition, he writes, lectures, and provides training across the country on the topic of social skills training for individuals with Aspergers Syndrome and related Pervasive Developmental Disorders. He has published both a manual on social skills training for children with Asperger Syndrome and a social skill picture book to aid in social skills training.

Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D. is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge. The author of Mindblindness; The Essential Difference; and Prenatal Testosterone in Mind. Editor of scholarly anthologies, including Understanding Other Minds; The Maladapted Mind; and Synaesthesia. Author of books for parents and teachers such as Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Facts and Teaching Children With Autism to Mind Read. Author of the DVD Mind Reading: an Interactive Guide to Emotions and The Transporters, an animation for preschool children with autism to help them learn emotion recognition. Recipient of awards from the American Psychological Association, the British Psychological Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science for autism research. 2007 President of the Psychology Section of the Association, Vice President of the National Autistic Society, and recipient of the 2006 Presidents' Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychological Knowledge from the British Psychological Society. 2009 Vice President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). Co-editor in chief of the new journal Molecular Autism. Current research is testing the "extreme male brain" theory of autism at the neural, endocrine and genetic levels.

Peter F. Gerhardt, Ed.D., is the Director of Education, Upper School, for the McCarton School in New York City. Dr. Gerhardt has more than 30 years experience utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders in educational, employment, residential and community-based settings. He has authored and co-authored articles and book chapters on the needs of adolescents and adults with ASD and has presented nationally and internationally on this topic.

Dr. Gerhardt serves as Chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research and his research interests include issues related to: intensity of behavior analytic instruction with adolescents and adults; community integration and employment; development of adaptive behavior competencies; positive behavior supports with complex individuals; and the use of technology to support community safety and independence.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D. was diagnosed with autism at age 2 and went on to become a gifted animal scientist. She is an assistant professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University and has designed 50% of all the livestock-handling facilities in the U.S. The author of two books, Emergence: Labeled Autistic and Thinking in Pictures, she lectures internationally on the subject of autism spectrum disorders.

Herbert D. Hinkle, Esq. is an attorney whose area of expertise is Educational Law. He is located in Lawrenceville, NJ.

Ami Klin, Ph.D. is chief of autism and related disorders at the Marcus Autism Center, a wholly owned subsidiary of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Klin will also be a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar at Emory University and director of the Division of Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine.

Previously, he was an autism and Asperger syndrome researcher and a Harris Professor of Child Psychology and Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. Klin has worked at the Center since 1989. He obtained B.A. degrees in Psychology, and Political Science and History, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel in 1983 and his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of London in 1988. He is board-certified in Clinical Psychology.

Richard Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed. is probably best known for his videos: "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. City Workshop," "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of Learning Disabilities," and his newest video on behavior management entitled "When the Chips are Down." These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive and compelling message to countless thousands throughout the world.

He has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs since 1972 and holds three degrees in Special Education. His numerous national television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News, and Disney Channel Presents.

Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizations including Public Broadcasting Service, The New York Times, National Center for Learning Disabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disabilities Association of America.

Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas. Dr. Myles presents nationally and is co-author of Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for Professionals and Parents, Asperger Syndrome and the Difficult Moment, and Asperger Syndrome and Sensory Issues.

Jerry Newport is an adult with Asperger Syndrome and author of the book, "Your Life is Not a Label: A Guide to Living Fully with Autism and Asperger Syndrome." He was featured on "60 Minutes" and is the founder of AGUA, a support group for adults with autism spectrum conditions which has groups in Los Angeles, San Dimas, Phoenix and Tucson.

John Elder Robison grew up in the 1960s before the Asperger diagnosis came into common use. He knew he was different, but he didn't know why. His social and academic failures would be signs of disability today, but back then, they were just signs of laziness or a poor attitude.

After a long struggle, John dropped out of high school. His school years had ended in failure, but he'd been fortunate to find two of his great life interests - music and electronics. At age sixteen, John joined his first band as a sound engineer. Within a few years he was building equipment for Pink Floyd's sound company, after which he created all the signature special effects guitars for KISS.

John went on to design sound effects and other circuits for some of the most popular electronic games and toys of the era, before moving into more conventional engineering management work. He'd done well as a creative person, but the move into management proved frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful. In the late 1980s, John left electronics for a new career... cars.

John founded Robison Service, a specialty automobile company which has grown into one of the best known independent Land Rover and Rolls Royce specialists in the country.

Diagnosed with Asperger's at the age of 40, his life changed once again, and he was inspired to write his first book Look Me in the Eye. Today, John's writing has been translated into 18 languages and is sold in 65 countries. John's second book, Be Different!, was published in the spring of 2011.

John serves as an adjunct professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He's a member of the Science and Treatment boards of Autism Speaks, and he's served on review boards for the National Institutes of Mental Health. John is a member of the Youth Care advisory board for Harvard's Mass General Hospital, and is currently involved in TMS autism research at Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Diane Twachtman-Cullen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a communication disorder specialist and licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in autism, Asperger syndrome and related conditions. Dr. Twachtman-Cullen holds a Sixth Year Diploma in early childhood education, and a Ph.D. in special education. She is the author of chapters on high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome syndrome in the "Division TEACCH series," published in 1998, and in "Communication and Language Issues in Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Transactional Developmental Perspective" edited by Amy Weatherby and Barry Prizant, published in May 2000.

Dr. Twachtman-Cullen is also the author of three books, available from Starfish Press. The books include "Trevor, Trevor," a metaphor for children designed to increase the sensitivity of typical peers toward their classmates with special needs, and the newly published "How to be a Para Pro: A Comprehensive Training Manual for Paraprofessionals."

Additionally, Dr. Twachtman-Cullen provides consultative services and training seminars internationally on a variety of topics related to Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Vincent J. Varrassi MA, LDT-C has been the Campus Director of the Regional Center for College Students with Learning Disabilities at Fairleigh Dickinson University since 1999. Prior to that time Mr. Varrassi's career in Public Education spanned 27 years during which time he was a General Education teacher, Special Education teacher, Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant and the Supervisor of Special Education for a Regional High School District in North Jersey. He is a former member of the Executive Board of the North Jersey Special Education Administrators Association and a former member of the Executive Board of the New Jersey Association for College Admissions Counseling. He has presented on the topics of Learning Disabilities, Asperger Syndrome, Transition to post-secondary options for Students with Disabilities and Assistive Technology nationally.

In 2005 Mr. Varrassi received recognition for his work as a "bridge to college for students with learning disabilities" by being awarded the Special Service Award of the NJACAC as well as a Presidential Citation from J. Michael Adams, President of Fairleigh Dickinson University, for his work on behalf of students with disabilities.

Fred R. Volkmar, MD Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics at Yale University's Child Study Center. Trained at Stanford University and at Yale, he was the coordinator of the International Field Trial for autism and related disorders. The result of this work was the definition of autism and Asperger Syndrome used in the "DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV," American Psychiatric Association, 1994).