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.
Adolescents with Autism Experience IQ Increases with Age
Long-Term Study Shows Average Increase of 7.48 IQ points between ages 12 and 23 IQ tests are standardized for each age group. For the general population, scores typically do not change over time. However, a recent British study showed that IQs rise with age for individuals with autism. This over a decade-long study involved 126 […]
Similar Social Cognition Impairments Found in Schizophrenia and Autism
Matching Differences Detected in Emotion Processing and Theory of Mind Deficits in social cognition are characteristics found in both schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Historically, these two different disorders have been examined separately and evaluated by contrasting means. However, a new systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 studies compared social cognition […]
Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Autism in Male Offspring
Findings from an Australian Study May Explain Why ASD is More Common in Boys than Girls A new study published in Molecular Autism suggests that maternal vitamin D deficiency could be the reason that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more than four times more common in boys than girls. Researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute […]
New Report Examines Health and Healthcare for People with ASD
National Autism Indicators Report Includes Health Information Across the Lifespan The A.J. Drexel Autism Institute recently published it’s sixth report in the National Autism Indicators Report series, which gave a comprehensive picture of what health and healthcare look like for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the lifespan. Overall, the Drexel researchers found that […]
Infants Born Via C-Section Have Higher Risk of Infections During Early Childhood
Missed Opportunity For Microbiome Foundation May Influence Immune Development A recent international study published in PLoS Medicine discovered that babies born via cesarean section were hospitalized more often in early childhood for infection compared to infants delivered vaginally. This increased risk remained until the children turned 5 years old. The most common infections observed in […]
Government Report Details Special Education Struggles During Pandemic
Delivering Related Services to Students at Home Proved Extremely Difficult The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report fulfilling their monitoring and oversight responsibilities under last March’s CARES Act. In this report, the GAO examined challenges and experience gained during last spring’s distance learning due to COVID-19. The research team studied two vulnerable […]
