Associate Professor, Cell and Regenerative Biology

Chair of the Human Microbiome at Rutgers University, Professor of Medicineand Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Director of the Center for AdvancedBiotechnology and Medicine.

Chief of the Division of Psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Chief of the Section of Psychology at Nationwide Children’s and Director of Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Child Development Center

Associate Professor, Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Department of Psychiatry, Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, and Friedman Brain Institute at the IcahnSchool of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics

Associate Professor – Department of Pediatrics, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (SMD) Senior Instructor of Pediatrics

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Professor of Neuroscience, Associate Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program

Associate Professor of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology

Mencoff Family Professor of Biology, Professor of Brain Science, Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery School of Medicine; New York Stem Cell Foundation, Robertson Neuroscience Investigator

Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience

Vice-chair of Research for the Department of Radiology and the Oberkircher Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Radiology at CHOP

Founder; Clinician-Scientist

Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Neuroscience Researchers

Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Director of the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program

Professor & Director of Autism Research Center

Associate Professor, Director of the Cerebellar Neurodevelopmental Disorders Clinic at Children’s Health

A Step Up Academy’s (ASUA) mission is to prepare students to become engaged participants in society by developing innovative academic, social, emotional, and behavioral programming as well as impactful community partnerships. In service of that mission, our transition program is critical to building skills that prepare students for future careers in fields that suit their unique interests. Reaching for Independence and Successful Employment (RISE) is a new program that provides valuable in and out of school work experiences for our students. The program includes the PAES Lab and Spectrum Greenhouse, while building new and expanded opportunities. RISE will include three career tracks for students to explore in administration, sustainability, and the arts. Students will use various forms of technology to design, produce, market, and sell artistic items. For students who are not of transition age, the RISE Program will provide meaningful introductions to new skills they can develop early in their educational careers.

Founded in 1959, Valley Forge Educational Services (VFES) offers a continuum of educational, summer, and employment-related programs for children and adults with special needs. VFES is most well-known for The Vanguard School – a Pennsylvania licensed, approved private school serving students, 4–21 years of age, the majority (70%) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Vanguard School programs extend beyond the traditional classroom. Many of our students participate in community-based employment where they receive valuable employment readiness and job training. Many also take part in our community-based instruction to learn daily living and life skills. Community-based programming is critical in learning to live as independently as possible. Meeting transportation needs will allow a continued impact throughout the community by providing access to services and programs.

The Pathway School is a special education school founded in 1961 for students ages 5 to 21 years old. Whether a child/youth has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, a learning disability, or emotional management issues, Pathway’s educators and clinical/therapeutic support professionals meet individual students where they are, inspire their courage as learners, and teach them the way they learn best. Our mission enables students to acquire both education and practical life skills helping them thrive in their communities as children, and later as adults. We’re launching the first of potentially multiple autism support classrooms designed to address the needs of these students/families in the region. The Autism Support Classroom will assist students with learning verbal behavior, social skills, life skills, and classroom readiness skills. Instruction will be provided within regular school hours. All staff in the classroom will be qualified to work with each student equally. This grant will help us acquire needed items for the initial classroom (specialized equipment, learning devices, furniture).

Variety-the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley is expanding their innovative workforce development model VarietyWorks. This model provides young adults with autism and other disabilities ages 14-24 with individualized vocational training that prepares them for a career of their choosing and places them in community employment.  Variety will use funds to significantly improve the training spaces and classrooms on campus with adaptive tools and increased accessibility, as well as prepare to open a third mobile café while leveraging other funding to build a pre-apprenticeship model in the food service industry.

The Philadelphia Charter School for Arts and Sciences is a K-8 neighborhood charter school with an arts-immersive curriculum. The school has 3 autistic support classrooms in addition to a large population of children with ASD who require varying levels of support in regular education classrooms. The autistic support program at Arts and Sciences has grown considerably, and meeting the needs of children with ASD is a top priority. The school currently has two rooms on the first floor of the building ready to be transformed into safe, calming spaces for students to de-escalate from emotional or physical displays of dysregulation or to visit for lessons on self-regulation techniques. Arts and Sciences has three dedicated staff members who have access to the room. These staff members are trained to help students who are in distress regulate themselves through sensory exercises before returning to the classroom ready to learn. Students in the specialized autistic support classrooms attend school in the summer months, and a sensory room will be an incredible addition to the summer curriculum. Year round this space will have a major impact on the education and well-being of students with ASD, their teachers, support staff, and all who utilize this resource.

Every individual deserves the opportunity to enter the workforce, earn a fair wage, and reach their full potential.  Ken’s Krew Inc. will continue to expand job placement and training services, which will train and place an additional 40 young adults with autism in sustainable careers in the Philadelphia area. Ken’s Krew Inc was founded 25 years ago by two families in the Philadelphia area.  KKI provides recruitment and job placement, training and retention services to individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. To date, the organization has assisted over 900 individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities in their transition from students to valued and productive employees. The efforts of these individuals, along with their vocational coordinators, KKI’s employment partners, and the support of their families has enabled our members to succeed in competitive integrative employment and to live more independent and fulfilling lives as productive members of the communities in which they live and work. KKI currently operates in nine states, supporting over 550 individuals in 197 retail and hospitality locations.  Vocational coordinators assess, train and support both the worker and the employer. Participants in the program are taught the skills necessary for independent employment and receive ongoing support services to maximize their potential for job success and employment retention.

On behalf of Pillars of Light and Love (Pillars), So Much To Give Inclusive Café is café that offers an inclusive dining experience and work place. The purchase of accessible equipment for our employees to utilize while at work will benefit not only the café but the working community. We hope one day to be able to work with a POS company using the lessons that we’ve learned to create even more accessible equipment for individuals with Autism and other diagnosed disabilities to make restaurant positions more accessible for all.

Raise the Bar works to support families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the underserved community of Camden, NJ. Research has illustrated the unique challenges for low socioeconomic families raising a child with disabilities, particularly less access to essential services. Additionally, developing strong social connections has been shown to have a positive effect on caregivers, which then positively affects the outcomes of the youth with disabilities and the broader family unit. We utilized existing research in the disability space and the specific findings from our local community to create the Caregiver Night program model. This program fills an essential need in a community lacking tailored services for families of children with disabilities. Through a combination of educational workshops, support groups, and self-care events, Caregiver Nights provides a dedicated space for a community of families that has been overlooked and underserved.

To provide specialized emergency hospital care for adult patients with sensory needs for patients in Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties as well as summer visitors. Provides patients with a safe and sensory-calming environment. The first adult emergency department sensory room in the region. Adult Sensory Disorders include: Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The adult sensory room will be accessible to anyone who would benefit from the space. The Medical center will educate all department staff and security for working with, and caring for, adults with sensory needs.