Autism Weekly Podcast

Most kids in the U.S. aren't diagnosed with autism until after age 4, long past the window when early intervention makes the biggest difference. The problem isn't that clinicians don't care. It's that a traditional evaluation can take six to eight hours end to end, and there aren't enough specialists to go around.
This week, Jeff sits down with Dr. Cheryl Tierney, a board-certified, fellowship-trained developmental pediatrician, professor of pediatrics at Penn State, and Chief Medical Officer at EarliPoint Health. For more than 25 years she has evaluated and diagnosed children with autism, learning, speech-language, attention, and sleep disorders.
Dr. Tierney explains how EarliPoint's FDA-cleared eye-tracking system works: 12 minutes of natural video scenes, 120 data points captured per second, more than 86,000 data points if a child watches the full session. The result is an objective read on how a child uses eye gaze to learn from the world around them, plus proxy measures for social engagement, language, and cognition. She is clear about what it is not. It is not a standalone diagnosis, and it is not about forced eye contact.
The conversation also covers what happens after diagnosis. Repeat assessments let clinicians see whether a child is closing the developmental gap in months instead of years, which means treatment can change course while it still matters.
In this episode:
Why "wait and see" became the default, and what it costs families
How roughly 60 percent of referred children may not need a lengthy assessment
Why clinicians using the tool report seeing 33 to 50 percent more patients
What families say after going through it, especially those who have done both pathways
Where payers and Medicaid are heading on coverage
Why a language-agnostic tool matters for rural and non-English-speaking families
Resources
EarliPoint Health: https://earlipointhealth.com
Find a provider near you (EarliPoint Network directory): https://earlipointhealth.com/earlipoint-network/
For parents: https://earlipointhealth.com/parents/
Research and publications: https://earlipointhealth.com/research/
Eye-Tracking-Based Measurement of Social Visual Engagement Compared With Expert Clinical Diagnosis of Autism (JAMA, 2023): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2808996
Development and Replication of Objective Measurements of Social Visual Engagement (JAMA Network Open, 2023): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2808909
Providers: request a demo or start a conversation: https://earlipointhealth.com/contact-us/
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

The UNC researcher behind the Black Empowerment and Autism Network on bias, access, and building care systems that actually fit families.
Autism research has historically been built on a narrow slice of the population. Dr. Brian Boyd argues that gap is not just an academic problem. It shows up as later diagnoses, thinner services, and worse outcomes for the families who were never in the data.
In this episode, Dr. Boyd joins host Jeff Skibitsky to talk about founding the Black Empowerment and Autism Network (BEAM), now close to 70 members across research, medicine, and clinical practice, and what it takes to build systems of care that respond to the families in front of them.
What we cover
Why a two-year-old whose first word was "pentagon" shaped two decades of research on focused interests
How BEAM started as career advice and became an international support network, including Black autistic researchers
The three places disparities show up: access, quality of experience, and outcomes
Why Black autistic children are twice as likely to carry a co-occurring intellectual disability diagnosis
What culturally responsive support actually looks like in practice, starting with cultural humility
Practical advocacy for families who feel dismissed in an IEP meeting or a doctor's office
How underfunded, understaffed systems push providers toward cookie-cutter care
What researchers owe communities before they ever collect a data point
Why Dr. Boyd is still hopeful right now
About Dr. Brian BoydDr. Brian Boyd is the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Education and Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill. His work focuses on evidence-based practices, racial disparities, implicit bias, and how schools and service systems can better support autistic people and their families. He founded the Black Empowerment and Autism Network (BEAM).
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

This week on Autism Weekly, host Jeff Skibitsky sits down with Amy Kelly, National Director of Family Engagement at Devereux and mother of three, including her daughter Annie, who was diagnosed with autism just before her second birthday. With nearly 20 years working directly with families and a career built out of her own experience navigating the system, Amy brings both professional expertise and lived experience to a conversation about what real inclusion looks like.
Resources
X
Handle: @Devereux_Natl 
Link: https://x.com/Devereux_Natl
Instagram
Handle: @devereuxnational
Link: https://www.instagram.com/devereuxnational/
Facebook
Handle: @DevereuxNational
Link: https://www.facebook.com/DevereuxNational
LinkedIn
Handle: @devereux 
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/devereux 
Amy and Jeff explore what family engagement actually means in practice, not just as a program feature but as a standard organizations should hold themselves to. They discuss the difference between token inclusion and full participation, how to prepare for and navigate an IEP meeting with confidence, and specific questions families should be asking depending on where their child falls on the spectrum, from communication device access on school buses to Extended School Year services and social skills programming.
Amy also shares practical strategies for advocating effectively without being labeled the "difficult parent," why evidence-based practices matter, and how documenting a child's progress can shift conversations with school districts. She closes with a reminder that autism is a family diagnosis, and that supporting the whole family, not just the individual, is central to long-term success.
Whether you're just starting the IEP process or years into advocating for your child, this episode offers grounded, practical guidance from someone who has lived both sides of it.
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

This week we're joined by Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, a psychologist and board certified behavior analyst who has spent her career advancing the science of applied behavior analysis and its application to autism. Dr. Weiss serves as executive director of programs in ABA and autism and directs a Ph.D. program in the field. Her work focuses on the philosophical and scientific foundations of ABA, ethical decision-making in professional practice, and collaboration across disciplines. Today we'll talk about what compassionate, humane, and effective ABA actually looks like in practice. Download latest episode to learn more!
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
BACB Ethics Code for Behavior AnalystsDr. Mary Jane Weiss discusses the four core principles of the BACB Ethics Code: benefit others; treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect; behave with integrity; and ensure competence.
BACB Ethics Code landing page: https://www.bacb.com/ethics-information/ethics-codes/Full PDF: https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ethics-Code-for-Behavior-Analysts-240830-a.pdf
Learn More About Dr. Mary Jane WeissEndicott College faculty page: https://www.endicott.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/m/mary-jane-weissMelmark bio: https://www.melmark.org/staff/mary-jane-weiss/
Further ReadingRohrer, J. L., Marshall, K. B., Suzio, C., & Weiss, M. J. (2021). Soft Skills: The Case for Compassionate Approaches or How Behavior Analysis Keeps Finding Its Heart.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00563-x
Rohrer, J. L., & Weiss, M. J. (2022). Teaching Compassion Skills to Students of Behavior Analysis: A Preliminary Investigation.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00748-y
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.
 

This week we're joined by Dr. Marilena Griguoli, a neuroscientist whose research is helping us understand something that sits at the very heart of autism: how the brain processes social experiences and builds social memory. Dr. Griguoli's work, funded by the Autism Research Institute, is looking at the specific brain circuits involved in social behavior and how they can be supported. Social connection is one of the most meaningful and complex areas for autistic individuals and their families. Today, we are exploring what the science reveals about why. Download latest episode to learn more!
Resources
Resources Mentioned & Further Reading
Learn more about Dr. Marilena Griguoli’s research:Dr. Marilena Griguoli — ResearchGate Profile
Featured research:Medial Septum: Relevance for Social Memory
Related autism research funding:Autism Research Institute — ARI-Funded Research Studies
Institutional research profile:Dr. Marilena Griguoli — CNR / Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology
Researcher bio:Dr. Marilena Griguoli — European Brain Research Institute
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

This week we're joined by Dr. Tana Carson, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Florida International University, and Dr. Tania Santiago Perez, Associate Teaching Professor in Recreational Therapy, also at FIU. Together, they're doing something that has never been done at this scale: building an evidence-based swim instruction program specifically designed for children with autism, and training the next generation of therapists to deliver it. Download latest episode to learn more!
Resources
https://ymcasouthflorida.org/special-needs/
https://discovery.fiu.edu/display/person-carson-tana
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.
 

This week we're joined by Dr. Lauren Moskowitz, a clinical psychologist and researcher at St. John's University who studies something so many families know firsthand: the intersection of autism and anxiety. For many autistic children and teens, anxiety isn’t just a side challenge. It can be one of the biggest barriers to daily life, school, friendships, and feeling like they belong. Dr. Moskowitz and her team have developed a therapy program specifically designed to treat anxiety and other mental health challenges in autistic individuals. Today we're getting into what that looks like and what families can do right now. Download latest episode to learn more! 
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
SPIRIT-ID/A Training Program (Drexel University/Lerner Lab) – An online CBT training program for mental health practitioners working with individuals with intellectual disability and autism, co-led by clinicians and autistic providers. lernerlab.com/spirit-ida.html
SPIRIT-ID/A Research Program (A.J. Drexel Autism Institute) – Information on the research program behind SPIRIT-ID/A within Drexel's Life Course Outcomes research area. drexel.edu/autisminstitute/research/ResearchPrograminLifeCourseOutcomes/SPIRITIDA
Facing Your Fears Program (JFK Partners, CU Anschutz) – A group CBT program for autistic youth with anxiety, with versions for clinic, school, and IDD populations, plus provider training options. medschool.cuanschutz.edu/jfk-partners/clinical-services/facing-your-fears-program
UCLA META (Meya) Autism Intervention Lab – YouTube Channel – Videos from UCLA's autism intervention research lab. youtube.com/@uclameyaautismintervention1480/videos
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Brandon Ito, a psychiatrist, educator, and advocate specializing in LGBTQ+ mental health and reducing healthcare disparities. As a UCLA Health LGBTQ Champion and leader in medical education, Dr. Ito is dedicated to fostering inclusive and equitable care. Today, we’ll explore the intersection of diverse identities within the autism community, focusing on sexual and gender diversity and the mental health disparities many face. Download the latest episode to learn more!
Resources
Social Media Handle: UCLA Tarjan Center: @uclatarjancenter
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Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.