Scholars with Autism
Lars Perner, PhD., Editor

(Editor) Lars Perner, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, from which he holds a Ph.D. in Marketing. He also holds a B.A. in political science and psychology and an M.B.A. from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Previously, Dr. Perner has taught at the University of Maryland; George Washington University; University of California, Riverside; San Diego State University; and California State University, Los Angeles. He currently teaches Marketing Fundamentals and has also taught Consumer Behavior, International Marketing, Introduction to International Business, Internet Marketing, Marketing Strategy, and Food Marketing. His research interests focus on consumer behavior, non-profit marketing and fundraising, and “win-win” deals. He currently serves as chair on the panel of Persons on the Spectrum of Autism, and advisor to the Autism Society, on whose Board he sits ex officio. Lars is a native of Denmark and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at age 14. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 1994 at age 32 and subsequently became interested in the autism spectrum. He has written extensively on autism issues, including college preparation for individuals on the spectrum, the use of special interests to enhance learning, the “big picture” of autism, and the importance of research to identify autism subtypes. His web site is http://www.LarsPerner.com

(Introduction) Darold Treffert, MD, completed both medical school and a psychiatric residency at the University of Wisconsin where he is presently a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry. Following his training he developed the Child-Adolescent Unit at Winnebago Mental Health Institute. It was there he met his first autistic savant in 1962. He then was Superintendent of WMHI until 1979 when he became Director of Community Mental Health Services in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where he now resides. Dr. Treffert has published two books on savant syndrome. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome, published in eleven languages, and most recently, Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant, published in April, 2010. He has been a contributor to numerous articles in professional journals and has participated in many broadcast and documentary television programs including those in the U.S., Japan, Sweden, Korea, South Africa, Germany, England and many other countries. In his efforts to raise public understanding about autism and savant syndrome, he has regularly appeared on 60 Minutes, Oprah, Today, CBS Evening News and many others programs. Dr. Treffert was a technical consultant to the award-winning movie Rain Man that made “autistic savant” a household term. He maintains a very popular website at www.savantsyndrome.com hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society.

_____________List of Chapter Contributors in Alphabetical Order_____________

Dena Gassner, MSW, began advocating in the autism community in 1989 with the birth of her second child, a son who was diagnosed with autism. Dena did not grieve but instead, focused on the “what’s next?” Her path included a master’s degree in Social Work with 700 hours of UCEDD training at Children’s Hospital Cincinnati. She’s an award-winning advocate most recently (2009) receiving the Jo Andrews Award from Nashville's Mayor Karl Dean for outstanding disability advocacy by a person living with disabilities. Dena can also be seen in online videos including the au-tube interviews and the No-Myths public service announcement (no-myths.org produced by the Dan Marino Foundation) and via Autism Hangout. In addition to 50 annual venues of professional development training for Health Ed Network and others (topics such as sexuality, women’s issues, transition and authenticity) she runs a private coaching practice (Center for Understanding - http://www.centerforunderstanding.net) in Nashville. With the ARC of Williamson County she’s obtained a $10,000 grant to create the Transparency Project-providing systems navigation support to indigent individuals with Asperger Syndrome. Dena is an advisory board member for the Autism Society and GRASP and a collaborator with the Autism Self-Advocacy Network as well as many other groups. Her personal mantra empowers persons to leave shame and inadequacy behind for an empowered life embracing autistic authenticity.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D. was born in Boston, Massachusetts and now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado. She obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College in 1970. In 1975, she earned her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University for her work on the behavior of cattle in different squeeze chutes. She attained her Ph.D in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989 and is currently a Professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University where she continues her research while teaching courses on livestock handling and facility design. Dr. Grandin has published hundreds of industry publications, book chapters and technical papers on animal handling plus 45 refereed journal articles in addition to seven books. She has received an honorary doctorate from McGill University, numerous awards for meritorious and lifetime achievements, and has also been recognized by humane groups for improved designs in livestock handling. Her book, Animals in Translation was a New York Times bestseller, and Livestock Handling and Transport is now in its third edition. Temple’s other popular books include Thinking in Pictures, Emergence Labeled Autistic, Animals Make us Human, Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach, and The Way I See It. In 2010, the HBO film Temple Grandin (about her early life and career in the livestock industry) won seven Emmy Awards. Her website is http://www.grandin.com.

Valerie Paradiz, PhD. designs curricula and programs for people with Autism Spectrum and related conditions. She is the developer of Integrated Self Advocacy ISA® curriculum (AAPC publishers) and certification training series and the author of several books, among them her literary memoir, Elijah's Cup. Dr. Paradiz leads trainings in the disability fields and consults nationally and internationally, assisting organizations and corporations in content development, program development and strategic planning. She is a regular vendor for New York City’s Board of Education and Bright Horizons Education Corporation and serves as Director of Special Projects for the Autism Research Institute, where she also works as Editor-in-Chief for its quarterly ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Redbook Magazine, and on National Public Radio. She holds a Ph.D. in German Studies from the City University of New York. Before her immersion in the autism fields, Valerie taught literature at Bard College and published literary and scholarly writings. She continues to pursue her literary passion with recent publications like Clever Maids: A History of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales and a forthcoming translation of Austrian playwright Eberhard Streul’s award-winning play, “Josef Worthy’s Great Moment.” Her website is www.ValerieParadiz.com.

Dawn Prince, Ph.D. was born in 1964 and from the beginning of her life has found joy and context in the natural world. After struggling with undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome until age 35, Dr. Prince went from being a homeless teenager with no direction to eventually studying primates and earning her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary anthropology in 1997 from the Universität Herisau in Switzerland. Dawn has written many academic articles, and is author of seven books in the areas of nature, primatology, autism, and disability, including Songs of the Gorilla: My Journey through Autism, which was a national bestseller and the winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Book of the Year Award; and Gorillas Among Us: A Primate Ethnographer’s Book of Days. She is also Editor of Aquamarine Blue 5: Personal Stories of College Students with Autism. She currently serves on the advisory board of ApeNet, a nonprofit organization. While she has traveled globally to lecture on all these subjects, and has enjoyed being an Adjunct Professor at Western Washington University until recently. She has now come full circle, returning to her home town in southern Illinois to run a farm for rescue animals and live a simpler and sustainable life with her wife Rhys Prince and her son, Teryk Prince-Hughes.

Stephen Shore, Ed.D. is an assistant professor at the Ammon School of Education at Adelphi University teaching courses in special education and autism. He focuses his research and teaching on matching best practices to the needs of people with autism. In addition to working with and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Dr. Shore presents and consults internationally on educational and social inclusion as well as on adult issues pertaining to relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his numerous books, articles, and DVDs. Nonverbal and diagnosed at age two and a half with "Atypical Development and strong autistic tendencies," recommendations for institutionalization were rejected in favor of parent-based intensive early intervention and support. Stephen is author of, Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, co-author of Understanding Autism for Dummies, and author of and contributor in, Ask and Tell: Self-Advocacy and Disclosure for people on the Autism Spectrum. He serves on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), on the Board of Directors for Autism Society, is past President of The Asperger's Association of New England (AANE), and advisory board member of Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association (AHA), and other autism related organizations. His website is http://www.autismasperger.net.

Nick Walker, (PhD pending) received his M.A. in Somatic Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, where he is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Studies program and a Ph.D. candidate in Transformative Studies, working on a dissertation on neurodiversity. Nick has practiced and taught Aikido for over 30 years; he holds a 6th degree black belt, and is the founder and senior instructor of Aikido Shusekai, an independent aikido school in Berkeley, California. He also has an extensive background in other transformative mind/body practices, including yoga, qigong, meditation, somatic dreamwork, Bioenergetics, Authentic Movement, and physical theatre. He and his partner run a business, Transformative Somatics, offering workshops on transformative practices, neurodiversity, and creativity. Since 1996, Nick has been a core member of the pioneering experimental physical theatre group Paratheatrical Research. His work with this group has been chronicled by visionary director Antero Alli in the documentary films Crux and Orphans of Delirium. He has also performed in several of Alli’s independent feature films, including The Greater Circulation, The Mind is a Liar and a Whore, and To Dream of Falling Upwards. Nick lives in Berkeley with his partner, Azzia, and his dangerously precocious daughter, River.

Liane Holliday-Willey, Ed.D. holds an Ed.D. in psycholinguistics and is author of four books on Asperger syndrome including the international bestseller, Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome. When Dr. Willey isn’t running her equestrian facility, she stays active in autism education, providing keynote addresses on the subject of Asperger syndrome, serving as the Senior Editor for Autism Spectrum Quarterly, the webhost of www.aspie.com, and an autism consultant at The Behavioral Resources and Institute for Neuropsychological Services. She serves on a number of boards including The Autism Women’s Support Network, The Asperger Association of Michigan, Imperative Pictures, The L.A. Center for Positive Change, The Asperger Syndrome Coalition of the United States, More Able Autistic People, The College Internship Program, and The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding. She and her husband founded The Holliday-Willey Scholarship for the Study of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, at Grand Valley State University. Liane’s life story and work on Asperger syndrome have been featured in an array of media including USA Today, Psychology Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Associate Press USA and Australia, www.ABCnews.com, www.Newsweek.com, Radio 4 BBC, NPR, and the feature films including Adam and Normal Folk.