A generation of children who benefited from early diagnoses and interventions for autism spectrum disorders has now come of age, only to discover few avenues designed to help them communicate better and move beyond their bio-neurological developmental disabilities. To fill this void, B. Madeleine Goldfarb and Charles Cartwright, MD, Medical Director, The Autism Center, had an idea that almost sounds counter-intuitive: Put people fearful of speaking, interpersonal connection or even making eye contact up on stage. It worked. Funded by a grant from Johnson & Johnson, the participants, ages 17 to 39, came from all across the state to attend Saturday sessions led by Paul O’Connor, a faculty member in Montclair State’s College of Arts. Goldfarb reports, “They made tremendous strides in personal development.” The last workshop featured a performance titled “This Is How I Really Feel…” in which participants acted out scenes based on journal entries about their own lives. Plans are underway to build on this success.
One in every 94 children in New Jersey is diagnosed with autism, a rate higher than the national average of 1 in 150. This is a statistic that UMDNJ clinicians and researchers take very seriously. Millions of dollars from sources like the National Institutes of Health and the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Autism fund autism-related projects on several campuses. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our University has spearheaded the New Jersey Autism Study, a population-based study. Another team of UMDNJ experts drawn from biochemistry, neurogenetics, pediatric toxicology, pharmacology, pediatric neurology, nutrition, synthetic chemistry and hands-on autism clinical care has been meeting every Thursday for two years. The good news: They believe they are on the verge of a treatment to make autism as manageable as diabetes.