Valerie Paradiz, PhD is the director of Valerie Paradiz, LLC, a consultancy that designs curricula and provides technical assistance and strategic planning to schools, universities and organizations that support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Valerie is the developer of the 2010 International Book Award finalist in education, Integrated Self-Advocacy ISA, which includes a certification training series for educators, therapists, families and support providers who wish to foster individuals with ASDs in achieving greater self-determination and ability in self-advocacy. Valerie is also a contributor to Scholars on the Spectrum Achieving Dreams (Auricle, 2012), a collection of essays written by adults with autism spectrum diagnoses. Her memoir, Elijah's Cup (Simon & Schuster, 2003) is the story of the author's experiences raising her autistic son and their involvement together in the self-advocacy community. Dr. Paradiz has been featured in the New York Times, Redbook Magazine, The Guardian, Parade Magazine, NHK Japan, MTV's True Life and on National Public Radio. She is a regular vendor for New York City's Board of Education and serves as Director of the Autistic Global Initiative of the Autism Research Institute. She is Editor-in-Chief of the ARI Adults with ASD eBulletin and serves and has served on national boards and advisory councils, including Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism, the Autism Society of America, IDEA Partnership's National Community of Practice in Autism, and the National Institute of Mental Health's Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's Strategic Planning Consortium. Valerie received her PhD in German Studies from City University of New York's Graduate Center. Todd Germain, OTR, LCSW, is a clinical social worker and occupational therapist with advanced training in child and adolescent psychotherapy from the William Alanson White Institute. Todd has a private practice in Manhattan where he works primarily with children and families around a variety of developmental and social-emotional issues. He has taught clinical social work at Fordham University and is an integrated planning consultant for The Cooke Center for Learning and Development. Sarah Olivieri, MPS, is involved with a number of organizations serving children, teens, and adults on the autism spectrum. She co-founded the Open Center for Autism in 2005 with Valerie Paradiz and has served as the deputy director of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) and executive director of the Helping Children of War Foundation. Sarah received her BA from the University of Chicago with a focus on globalization and its effect on marginalized cultures, studying in Spain, Tanzania, and Cuba, and finally moving to Japan to teach English. In 2009 she completed a master's degree in humanistic and multicultural education at SUNY New Paltz. Currently Sarah works with a digital media production company and enjoys developing media for organizations serving individuals on the autism spectrum. Michelle DeFelice Haverly, MS, has been a teacher of people with special needs for over 15 years. During those years, she has served as a special educator of students with a wide range of abilities in various settings. She has also been a college instructor, tutor, Special Olympics coach and trainer, workshop writer, program developer, volunteer, consultant, presenter, and mentor. Michelle currently writes workshop materials and trains school-related professionals, as well as teachers and consults with school districts to improve the quality of education for all students, especially those with ASD and related diagnoses. Michelle is a wife and mother of two neurotypical children who attend an integrated preschool. She authored an article about her family's preschool experience in the Autism Advocate, published by the Autism Society of America.
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