Teaching Spotlight: Byrne Seminar Course Promotes Neurodiversity Awareness & Advocacy

Neurodiversity is a term that describes the different ways that humans process information. A variety of neurotypes exist such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, and more. This teaching spotlight focuses on ASD and highlights Dr. Christopher Manente’s Byrne seminar course, Perspectives on Autism in Adulthood, co-taught this semester with Dr. Elaine Clarke in the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS), a beautiful facility located on the Douglass Campus of Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Dr. Manente is Founding and Executive Director of RCAAS and Associate Professor of Clinical Practice in the Applied Psychology Department. Dr. Clarke is a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Vanessa Bal’s LifeSPAN lab. She is also a member of the Psychological Services Clinic team at the RCAAS, led by Dr. Bal. 

The need for support, awareness, and advocacy in the adult autistic community is evident. As highlighted in the course description, over 5,000,000 adults in the United States live with ASD and many of them age out of various services