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.
Researchers Begin Mission to Lower Age of Autism Diagnosis for African American Children
Earlier this month, SafeMinds Shares covered a disturbing news story which reported that obtaining an autism diagnosis takes longer for African American Children. In order to make this startling fact a thing of the past, a research team out of Washington University in St. Louis, using a long-standing grant from the State of Missouri, is evaluating at-risk Black children at their Autism Clinical Center.
Lower Levels of Serotonin Transporters Found in Brains of Individuals with ASD
Scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published a paper last month in Molecular Psychiatry which shows that people with autism have lower levels of a protein which regulates the amount of serotonin in the brain.
Coronavirus Economic Relief for People with Disabilities Becoming More Unlikely
As reported in June, the HEROES Act which aims to provide economic relief to the disability community was passed out of the House of Representatives. Sadly, as predicted, the related coronavirus relief legislation has stalled in the Senate.
Researchers Call for More Insight Concerning Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts For Those with Autism
An editorial published this month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders written by several leading autism researchers requests further exploration into the field of self harm and suicidal thoughts in individuals with autism.
COVID-19 Disproportionately Impacting Those With Developmental Disabilities
A letter published recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry on behalf of the directors of the nation’s 13 intellectual and developmental disabilities research centers — which are funded by the National Institutes of Health — is sounding the alarm about the devastating impact the pandemic has had on an already vulnerable population.
Probiotics Beyond Yogurt
As we wrote in an earlier SafeMinds Shares article, taking probiotics may help with some symptoms of autism. Probiotics are also considered a healthy addition for anyone’s diet. BiomeHealth, a maker of probiotic products, has produced a handy list of probiotics beyond those containing dairy such as yogurt.
