Scientific and Clinical Advisory Council
SafeMinds Scientific & Clinical Advisory Council is comprised of clinicians, health professionals, and scientists from a variety of disciplines, including, among others, specialists and experts in autism, environment, toxicology, pediatrics, neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology.
José G. Dórea, Ph.D.
Professor of Nutritional Sciences, University of Brasília
A graduate of the University of Pernambuco with advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts (MSc and PhD), Dr. Dorea has worked at Iowa State University (USA), University of Hawaii (USA), and University of Campinas (Brazil). He has authored numerous book chapters, and has published on infant nutrition and the environmental impact of toxic (natural and man made) substances on the growth and development of children. Dr. Dorea is on the editorial board of peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has authored and co-authored more than 180 papers in journals of public health, medical and environmental sciences, toxicology, and pharmacology.
Cindy Schneider, MD
Medical Director, Center for Autism Research and Education
Dr. Schneider is the Medical Director of CARE, the Center for Autism Research and Education. Her integrative medical practice is exclusively dedicated to individuals with autism and related neurological and immune disorders. Dr. Schneider’s areas of special interest include treatment of the immune, gastrointestinal, and metabolic aspects of autism and the identification of environmental toxins contributing to the autism epidemic. She has designed and implemented multiple research studies, and collaborated with researchers worldwide. Dr. Schneider’s priorities in both her medical practice and her research include the identification of the causes of autism, the formulation of effective treatment protocols, and the prevention of autism in future generations.
Dr. Schneider has served as a member of the Defeat Autism Now! think tank since 1997, and serves on the Clinician Advisory Committee at the Autism Research Institute. She was the founding president and medical director of two nonprofit organizations for autism research, and is a medical advisor for SafeMinds. Dr. Schneider has published extensively in the areas of genetic vulnerability to environmental toxins, and innovative treatments for the gastrointestinal and immune complications of autism.
As the mother of two children with autism and a leading authority in the field, Dr. Schneider closely tracks developments in autism research, and provides both a medical and personal assessment of current and promising treatment options.
Robert Sears, M.D.
Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician in a full-time private practice in Dana Point, Calif. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University, and did his pediatric residency training at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. “Dr. Bob,” as he likes to be called by his little patients, provides a unique blend of mainstream and integrative medical care. He is a co-author in the Sears Parenting Library, including The Baby Book and The Portable Pediatrician, and is the author of The Vaccine Book, The Autism Book, and HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months. Dr. Bob has appeared on Dr. Oz, The Doctors, CNN, CBS Early Show, Fox Morning News, and Dr. Phil discussg parenting advice and pediatric health issues. He is a frequent speaker at parenting conferences, and serves on the medical advisory board for various organizations, including Talk About Curing Autism, Autism Care and Treatment Today, HappyBaby Organic Baby Food, and Kaplan University Department of Health Sciences. Dr. Bob is a contributor to AskDrSears.com, and regularly answers questions on his Mothering.com Ask the Experts forum.
UK Research Shows a Lower Life Expectancy for Individuals with Autism
Men and Women with ASD and a Learning Disorder Die Almost 10 Years Earlier than Those without the Disorder A recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe has found that people diagnosed with autism and a learning disability in the United Kingdom are more likely to die prematurely than those without these […]
Vigorous Activity Rates Are Higher in Children with ASD than Neurotypical Controls
Kids on the Spectrum Also Spent Less Time Being Sedentary New research from scientists in Saudi Arabia has analyzed sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA) levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and compared those levels with typically developing (TD) children. Overall, the study found that the time spent in PA and total activity […]
Abnormal Mitochondrial Markers Found in Adults with Autism
Males with ASD Show More Marker Alterations than Females with ASD New research from Germany has examined the markers of mitochondrial metabolism in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compared those markers to neurotypical controls (NTC). This study investigated potential mitochondrial dysfunction by assessing blood metabolite levels linked to mitochondrial metabolism. Specifically, blood levels […]
Maternal Immune Response, the Autistic Brain and Memory Retention from Early Childhood
Pioneering Research Reveals that Kids with ASD Retain More Memories from Early Childhood Than Neurotypical Children Neuroscientists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered a fascinating new link between the retention of early life memories and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This innovative study reveals that children on the spectrum retain memories from early childhood, while neurotypical […]
New Research Examines Symptoms of Autism Throughout Midlife and Beyond
Findings Show that Those without ID Had an Accelerated Set of Challenges in Later Years New research from the University of Wisconsin used an accelerated longitudinal design to estimate age-related trajectories over a 60-year period for a large community-based sample of individuals on the spectrum. Unlike most studies that track autism trajectories over childhood, this […]
Organochlorine Pesticide Residue β-HCH Associated with an Increased Risk of Autism
Toxicity Signal Identified in Both a Human Analysis and a Zebrafish Experiment A new Norwegian study has discovered a significant association between the organochlorine pesticide residue β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study’s design involved recruiting 1,199 mothers to enroll in the prospective birth cohort (HUMIS, 2002–2009) study, which examined human breast […]
