Autism Spectrum Disorder: Symptomology and Interventions

Session 2 of the Northeast PA AHEC Navigating Youth Behavior Virtual Lunch & Learn Series

Date: June 19, 2024

Speaker: Ramnarine Boodoo serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general as well as child and adolescent psychiatry. Currently, he provides outpatient care at Penn State Health’s Northeast Drive Clinic. Boodoo has a strong interest in childhood psychological trauma, and is a physician collaborator with the Penn State’s autism division.

Speaker: Jesse Northridge is a clinical social worker who from Penn State Health’s Division of Autism Services. Jesse has been a therapist for the past 15 years, and has been specializing in autism for 9 years. He specializes in helping teenagers and young adults with autism to work through issues of anxiety and depression. However, he also runs several group therapies to help clients improve their social abilities.

Though Jesse spends a majority of his time with clinical care, he also works alongside the ASERT collaborative. The ASERT collaborative is a partnership of several agencies, and is overseen by Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs. As part of his role at ASERT, Jesse is responsible for designing and developing many of the training resources used by the agency. He has developed materials surrounding trauma care, mental health interventions, social skills curriculums, and emergency management.

Jesse comes to us today to present information about the basics of autism, including its symptomology and common treatments.

Learning Objectives:
Describe the symptomology and presentations associated with autism
Provide recommendations for how to provide appropriate accommodations to people who are neurodivergent
Highlight the treatment options available to autistic individuals

Practice GAP: Though information about autism is becoming more mainstream, such information is rarely comprehensive. The lack of quality trainings for autism has led to misperceptions regarding its presentation and the services available.

Contact Information: For more information, contact Chelsea Wolff or Valerie Williams.
Email Chelsea Email Valerie