Temple Grandin, PhD
Temple Grandin is an internationally respected specialist in designing livestock handling systems, and is the most noted high-functioning person with autism in the world today. She is the author of numerous award-winning books on autism/Asperger’s Syndrome, including Different … Not Less (Future Horizons, April 2012), The Way I See It (Future Horizons, 2nd edition, 2011), Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism (Autism Asperger Publishing Company, expanded edition, 2008), The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism (co-authored with Sean Barron, Future Horizons, 2005), Emergence: Labeled Autistic (Warner Books, 1996), and Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism (Vintage, 2006). Temple is also a worldwide speaker on autism topics. Read more at www.templegrandin.com.
Ellen Notbohm
Award-winning author Ellen Notbohm has informed and delighted millions with her popular books and articles on autism and her family history series, Every Life Matters. Her work has been published worldwide in more than nineteen languages.
Ellen is a three-time ForeWord Book of Year finalist, and a Silver Medal winner in the Independent Publishers Book Awards for 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger’s, co-authored with former Autism Asperger’s Digest managing editor Veronica Zysk. Ellen’s books have won Learning magazine’s Teacher’s Choice Award, two iParenting Media awards, and an Eric Hoffer Book Award finalist designation.
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, demystifying autism with accessible language and salty humor, has become one of the autism community’s most beloved books. A condensed version of the book has been published on every continent except Antarctica. Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew was named to onlinecolleges.net’s list The 20 Essential Books about Special Education.
Website: www.ellennotbohm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellennotbohm
Twitter: EllenNotbohm
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ellen-Notbohm/e/B00365IQKW/ref=sr_tc_ep?qid=1327443646
James Ball, EdD, BCBA-D
Dr. James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, is the President/Chief Executive Officer of JB Autism Consulting (www.JBAutismConsulting.com). He has been in the field of autism for over 25 years providing preschool, educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. He is also the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families in New York City. He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.
Dr. Ball is a past member of the Autism New Jersey, formally known as the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC) Board of Trustees, and a past member of the Autism New Jersey, Professional Advisory Board. A member of the Autism Society’s (AS) National Board of Directors, he is currently the Executive Board Chair and has also served in the past as the co-chairperson of the AS’s Panel of Professional Advisors. He sits on the advisory board for the Autism Asperger’s Digest and has been a featured columnist for the magazine for the past five years. Dr. Ball has lectured internationally on various topics related to autism such as early intervention, inclusion, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the award-winning, breakthrough book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers, winning the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award Winner, Finalist for the 2008 ForeWord Book of the Year, and Gold Award Winner in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Dr. Ball has won numerous awards, including NYFAC’s Autism Inspiration Award, ASA’s Publication Award for his manual on Social Security and Employment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, Autism New Jersey, COSAC’s highest honor, their Distinguished Service Award, and most recently was honored at the Phoenix Center in Nutley, New Jersey during their 20th Anniversary Gala as Professional of the Year.
Britt Collins, MS, OTR
Britt Collins lives in Denver, Colorado, with her Australian Shepherd “Frankie” who is a certified therapy dog. She is an occupational therapist at the STAR Center. Britt has co-written her first book Sensory Parenting: Newborns to Toddlers with business partner Jackie Linder Olson. The OT/Mom team have focused on a sensory perspective to everyday parenting and provide sensory strategies for moms and dads to go along with the developmental milestones in the baby’s first years (www.sensoryparenting.com). This book recently won 2010 Book of the Year Award in the Parenting Category. Britt also has an award winning OT DVD series that is a visual learning tool for parents, caregivers and professionals to provide supplemental sensory strategies into the home, school and community (www.otdvds.com).
In between working as an OT and author, Britt travels the country presenting at various sensory conferences along side Carol Kranowitz, Temple Grandin and Paula Aquilla. She is also working on publishing her first children’s book. Britt’s blogs can be found at www.ourjourneythruautism.com; www.sensoryparenting.com; www.nationalautismresources.com and www.spdfoundation.net.
Britt and Jackie have also created a non-profit organization Special Needs United (www.specialneedsunited.org) to help raise money for families who cannot afford therapy or equipment for their child. She is planning fundraising events in major cities across the U.S. to help raise money for this great cause.
Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR
Dr. Lucy Jane Miller has devoted herself to the study and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder for over 35 years. She founded the Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Foundation in 1979 and has served as its executive director since then. The Foundation currently conducts research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of SPD, organizes regular educational events and programs, and campaigns tirelessly for advocacy and diagnostic recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder. In 2005, Dr. Miller founded the STAR (Sensory Therapies And Research) Center, which is co-located with the SPD Foundation in Denver. The STAR Center is the premier clinic for evaluation and treatment of sensory-related disorders. The comprehensive services offered by the center’s highly qualified multidisciplinary team also includes the S.O.S. Feeding Solutions program directed by world-renowned feeding specialist, Dr. Kay Toomey.
In addition to these monumental achievements, Dr. Miller was an associate professor at UC Denver Medical School with a double appointment in Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine for 11 years. She is a prolific author, with over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and two definitive books on SPD: Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Sensory or Motor Challenges. Dr. Miller has developed several norm-referenced standardized assessments that are used worldwide, including the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP), the Leiter International Performance Scale – Revised and the new Miller Function and Participation Scale (M-Fun). She also developed the STAR treatment model, which has been demonstrated through research to be effective.
Dr. Miller’s degrees include a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in occupational therapy, and a doctorate in early childhood special education with an emphasis in educational research. Her awards include the Award of Merit (the highest award in the profession) from the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Martin Luther King Jr. award from the State of Colorado for her 30 plus years of working with children who are disenfranchised due to their disabling conditions.
Katie Brady, LCSW
Katie Brady first entered the world of autism when she was a freshman at UNC–Chapel Hill. She joined the Best Buddies organization and was paired up with a sixteen year old boy who had autism. Intrigued, she then worked as a counselor at Camp Royall, the Autism Society of North Carolina’s summer camp, and after that summer she knew what she wanted to do with her life.
Changing her major from English and Education to Psychology, Katie immersed herself in the autism community both academically and vocationally, working at The Arc of NC as well as the Autism Society of North Carolina. After graduating, she worked for a year in a residential setting before completing her Masters of Social Work at UNC–Chapel Hill.
Katie worked for six years as a Psychoeducational Therapist with the Chapel Hill TEACCH Center, consulting with families and schools as well as conducting trainings in America and abroad. In 2011, she began her private practice, serving individuals with autism, their families, and schools in the greater Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Katie most enjoys helping individuals implement practical solutions that best fit their family’s needs. She lives in Durham with her husband Jim and their two cats, Isabella and Monster. Learn more about Katie’s services at www.katiebradylcsw.com.
Jamie Pacton, MA
Jamie Pacton is a mom, writer, and professor who lives in Milwaukee with her husband and two small sons. She grew up in East Tennessee, but moved north to study literature at Marquette. Currently, she teaches writing for several online universities, so she can be both a stay-at-home and work-from-home mom.
In her free time, she likes to read, write fiction, walk by Lake Michigan, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (every Friday morning), drink coffee, and watch TV shows that make her laugh. Her favorite days are ones where she gets to take her kids to the zoo, or the park, or the children’s museum. She also likes to travel and hopes to learn to sail in the near future.
Visit her at www.jamiepacton.com.
