An archive of all RCAAS-related news, from Rutgers University publications (i.e., Rutgers Today and Rutgers Magazine), research publications, and more!
In the News
9.23
Dr. Christopher Manente was featured in Patch.com’s, “Neuro-Inclusive Apartment Plan Approved by Red Bank Zoners.”
Dr. Manente addressed the urgent issue of housing insecurity in the underserved population of adults with ASD and how THRIVE Red Bank, an in-construction, neuroinclusive apartment building, is working to help neurodivergent residents live independently. “What’s magical about THRIVE, is that it’s the first neuro-inclusive supportive housing development (in that state) that is going to embed really high-quality natural supports for its residents.” - Dr. Manente.
9.23
Dr. Christopher Manente was featured in the Asbury Park Press’s "A mother’s concern for her son leads to first-in-N.J. apartment building in Red Bank."
Dr. Manente addressed the urgent issue of housing insecurity in the underserved population of adults with ASD and how THRIVE Red Bank, an in-construction, neuroinclusive apartment building, is working to help neurodivergent residents live independently. “What’s magical about THRIVE, is that it’s the first neuro-inclusive supportive housing development (in that state) that is going to embed really high-quality natural supports for its... read more
9.23
Congratulations to Dr. Christopher Manente, RCAAS Executive Director; Associate Professor of Clinical Practice, GSAPP Applied Psychology Department, on being named a 2023 NJBIZ Veterans in Business Honoree!
Dr. Manente is a decorated Army veteran, three-time Rutgers alumnus, and passionate advocate for the underserved adult autism population. The prestigious award is dedicated to the NJBIZ Associate Publisher and General Manager, AnnMarie Karczmit, in honor of her late father, who served in the Korean War. It is given to veterans who are creating a profound impact on New Jersey businesses... read more
7.23
Representative Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07) visited the RCAAS community center in July for a meeting and tour.
RCAAS Executive Director, Dr. Christopher Manente said, “The RCAAS is a pilot model that provides individualized services to help adults with autism thrive, not just survive.” Rep. Kean, a member of the Congressional Autism Caucus replied, “I want you to be leaders, to excel, and I want to help.” We look forward to continuing this exciting conversation!
2.23
The RCAAS and Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD) partnered for an innovative and immersive training around the understanding of neurodiversity. Attended by Rutgers police officers, students, and staff, the interactive event and candid conversation were enlightening for all!
Read the full article here:
8.22
Dr. Vanessa Bal & Dr. Brian Chu were awarded a $400K grant from the NJ Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, to adapt Dr. Chu's transdiagnostic Group Behavioral Activation Treatment (GBAT) to support autistic adults with depression, anxiety, or mood regulation difficulties. This collaboration will include an advisory group of autistic adults to inform and guide development of supplemental materials to tailor GBAT+ to address barriers and support the mental health of autistic people.
Congratulations, Dr. Bal and Dr. Chu! This remarkable achievement was... read more
8.22
Congratulations to Dr. Vanessa Bal for receiving the APA Division 33’s Sara S. Sparrow Early Career Research Award! This award is presented to an individual who has made substantial contributions to the understanding of intellectual or developmental disabilities as reflected in his or her published and presented works. “I am so grateful to the amazing mentors that have invested in training and supporting me. I have been so fortunate,” said Dr. Bal at the award ceremony. What an amazing, well-deserved achievement!
Division 33 of the American Psychological Association (APA) is an... read more
7.22
Congratulations to RCAAS Relationship Coach, Amy Gravino, on co-authoring a chapter in the Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder! The chapter is titled, “Sexuality and Sexuality Education with Individuals with Autism: What You Should Know But Probably Don’t.”
According to Amy, “It addresses the complex subject of autism and sexuality education through both a clinical and personal lens. In this chapter, Dr. Gerhardt, Dr. Cauchi, and Ms. Gravino highlight the cultural and institutional barriers that professionals encounter in teaching sex education to... read more
5.22
GSAPP and RCAAS senior leaders, SungWoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D, and Christopher Manente, PhD, BCBA joined the hosts of the ABA Inside Track podcast to discuss enhancements in supports for autistic adults. ABA Inside Track is one of the most popular podcasts about applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the research that fuels the field.
During Episode 201, “Advances in Treatment for Autistic Adults w/Dr. SungWoo Kahng + Dr. Christopher Manente,” Drs. Kahng and Manente highlighted the clinical work and research being done at the RCAAS to support autistic adults in the workplace and in college. You... read more
5.22
Third-year doctoral student, Yu Yan, is the grateful first recipient of the Autism MVP Foundation Endowed Fellowship! Keith Green, Executive Director of the AutismMVP Foundation, presented a $31,500 donation to GSAPP and the RCAAS, to assist future mental health professionals serve the underserved adult autistic population. The Autism MVP Foundation Endowed Fellowship will allow GSAPP students, working in partnership with the RCAAS, to gain the necessary training and educational resources they need to empower adults on the autism spectrum.
This generous gift will undoubtedly make a lasting... read more
2.22
Terrific work, Dr. Vanessa Bal, Karmazin and Lillard Chair In Adult Autism, Associate Professor, GSAPP, Director, LifeSPAN Autism Lab and RCAAS-Psychological Services Clinic; Co-Director of Research, RCAAS, and Nikita Jadav, 2nd-year RWJ Medical Student; former LifeSPAN Autism Lab Manager!
Their research paper, “Associations between co-occurring conditions and age of autism diagnosis: Implications for mental health training and adult autism research,” was featured in the 2022 IACC Summary of Advances in Autism Research, which summarizes the top 20 advances in autism biomedical and services... read more
1.22
Congratulations to Ellen Wilkinson, graduate student and valued member of the Psychological Services Clinic (PSC) and LifeSPAN ASD Lab teams, on having her new article featured in a recent Autism Science Foundation (ASF) podcast! Ellen’s article, “Parent Reported Strengths and Positive Qualities of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability,” appeared in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and was one of three topics of discussion in this popular weekly forum.
Read the full article here:
11.21
The November issue of the Gazette features research highlights at the RCAAS. Whitney Pubylski-Yanofchick, MSW, BCBA; Christeen Zaki-Scarpa, MA; Robert H. LaRue, PhD, BCBA-D, Christopher Manente, PhD, BCBA; and SungWoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D published a research study in the journal Behavior Analysis in Practice on the topic of effective treatments for food selectivity in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additionally, Dr. Vanessa Bal and colleagues published a paper examining suicidal ideation in children with autism diagnoses.
Read the issue here:
10.21
The October issue of the Gazette features coverage on the grand opening of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services' new Community Center. Guests gathered on the Community Center’s lawn for the ribbon cutting ceremony, following speeches from Rutgers-NB Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway, RCAAS Executive Director Christopher Manente, RCAAS Relationship Coach Amy Gravino, Senator Stephen Sweeney, Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway, and Executive Director of the Karma Foundation Dina Karmazin Elkins.
Read the issue here:
10.22
Amy Gravino, M.A. authored the Autism Spectrum News article, "Sex Education for Autistic People: Why It’s Not Too Much to AASK."
To read the article, please click here.
9.22
Congratulations to Dr. Vanessa Bal, Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism, and her former Research Assistant and alumna, Nikita Jadav, on their newsworthy research! As noted in Rutgers Today, the article on their research entitled, "Autism diagnosis in adulthood linked to higher rate of psychiatric conditions” was featured in both The Hill and Spectrum News online publications.
According to Dr. Bal, "There is a shortage of mental health clinicians adequately trained to provide support for autistic adults — many providers report lower feelings of competence and are reluctant to take... read more
8.22
Vanessa Bal, PhD, GSAPP Associate Professor and the Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism, and Evan Kleiman, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Rutgers-SAS Psychology Department, were recently featured in the Oaracle for their one-year Organization for Autism Research (OAR)-funded study. The study, "Developing Supports to Address Mental Health Needs of Autistic Students in Postsecondary Education," examined an intervention to help autistic students prepare for potential stressors and provide them with online coping tools and strategies.
To read more about the study and the full article,... read more
8.22
Dr. Vanessa Bal & Dr. Brian Chu were awarded a $400K grant from the NJ Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, to adapt Dr. Chu's transdiagnostic Group Behavioral Activation Treatment (GBAT) to support autistic adults with depression, anxiety, or mood regulation difficulties. This collaboration will include an advisory group of autistic adults to inform and guide development of supplemental materials to tailor GBAT+ to address barriers and support the mental health of autistic people.
Congratulations, Dr. Bal and Dr. Chu! This remarkable achievement was... read more
8.22
Congratulations to Dr. Vanessa Bal for receiving the APA Division 33’s Sara S. Sparrow Early Career Research Award! This award is presented to an individual who has made substantial contributions to the understanding of intellectual or developmental disabilities as reflected in his or her published and presented works. “I am so grateful to the amazing mentors that have invested in training and supporting me. I have been so fortunate,” said Dr. Bal at the award ceremony. What an amazing, well-deserved achievement!
Division 33 of the American Psychological Association (APA) is an... read more
7.22
Congratulations to RCAAS Relationship Coach, Amy Gravino, on co-authoring a chapter in the Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder! The chapter is titled, “Sexuality and Sexuality Education with Individuals with Autism: What You Should Know But Probably Don’t.”
According to Amy, “It addresses the complex subject of autism and sexuality education through both a clinical and personal lens. In this chapter, Dr. Gerhardt, Dr. Cauchi, and Ms. Gravino highlight the cultural and institutional barriers that professionals encounter in teaching sex education to... read more
7.22
This informative and helpful resource was created by a collaborative team headed by Dr. Vanessa Bal, Co-Director of Research, Director of the Lifespan ASD Lab and the RCAAS-Psychological Services Clinic (PSC), Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism, and Dr. Evan Kleiman, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University, as part of an Organization for Autism Research (OAR)-funded project, https://researchautism.org.
The team that created the guide was comprised of graduate students, staff, faculty, and clinicians, including several who identify as on the spectrum or neurodiverse... read more
5.22
GSAPP and RCAAS senior leaders, SungWoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D, and Christopher Manente, PhD, BCBA joined the hosts of the ABA Inside Track podcast to discuss enhancements in supports for autistic adults. ABA Inside Track is one of the most popular podcasts about applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the research that fuels the field.
During Episode 201, “Advances in Treatment for Autistic Adults w/Dr. SungWoo Kahng + Dr. Christopher Manente,” Drs. Kahng and Manente highlighted the clinical work and research being done at the RCAAS to support autistic adults in the workplace and in college. You... read more
1.22
Congratulations to Ellen Wilkinson, graduate student and valued member of the Psychological Services Clinic (PSC) and LifeSPAN ASD Lab teams, on having her new article featured in a recent Autism Science Foundation (ASF) podcast! Ellen’s article, “Parent Reported Strengths and Positive Qualities of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability,” appeared in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and was one of three topics of discussion in this popular weekly forum.
Read the full article here:
7.21
This week, Amy Gravino, RCAAS Relationship Coach, joins the podcast Autism Weekly to discuss dating and relationship maintenance on the autism spectrum. Amy also covers "the importance of sex ed and how parents can start the conversation with their teens."
Listen to the podcast here:
1.21
COVID-19 has presented negative effect of varying gravity for us all, including researchers who are in the early stages of their career. Dr. Vanessa Bal, M.Sc, Ph.D. and colleagues studied the impact of COVID-19 on early career ASD researches, sharing the obstacles they've faced as well as the steps they have and should take to overcome these challenges.
The research team joined the Autism Science Foundation on their ASF Weekly Science Podcast to share their results. Listen here: https://asfpodcast.org/archives/1149
Read the full research... read more
11.20
This publication of the collaborative work of Dr. Christopher Manente, BCBA, Dr. SungWoo Kahng, BCBA-D, Courtney Butler, MS, BCBA, Dr. Robert LaRue, BCBA-D, Christeen Zaki-Scarpa, MA, BCBA, and Ashley Kobylarz MS, BCBA, showcases how stereotypy, or the persistent repetition of an act or vocal sound, plays out in the daily life of those with ASD, and highlights certain treatment practices that can reduce these stereotypies, especially in complex settings.
Read the full research publication here:
7.20
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS) staff recently presented topical, engaging posters at the 2020 Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Virtual Conference. Congratulations to Courtney Butler, MS, BCBA, Whitney Pubylski-Yanofchick, MSW, BCBA, Christeen Scarpa, MS, and Ian Bober, MA for their achievement!
The ABAI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the growth of the science of behavior analysis. Their annual convention is the largest behavior analysis convention in the world. View the RCAAS team's posters.
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