As April, Autism Acceptance Month approaches, the members of Faja Lab dressed in different colors of the rainbow to represent the spectrum of autism and celebrate neurodiversity as part of Faja Lab's tradition!
LCN hosted a table at the BPRD’s Children Festival during the February school vacation. We had so much fun playing brain games with children and their families, talking about our studies, and dancing to the DJ in the bubbles from our bubble machine. We also distributed free children’s books in English and Spanish, brain coloring sheets, mental health activity books, crayons, brain keys, and snacks. The children had a blast playing with bubbles and were delighted to meet Pom Pom, the penguin from the Faja lab!
In January, we had the pleasure of hosting another great group of 7th- and 8th-grade students from Driscoll School in Brookline, MA, for a Fun with Neuroscience Field Trip as part of their Science Solstice. During the field trip, students participated in various activities, such as hearing about Dr. Faja's path to becoming a neuroscientist, observing electroencephalography (EEG), and learning about psychophysiological methods of measuring heart rates and skin responses to understand stress responses. Finally, they practiced 'thinking like a scientist' and distinguishing between correlation and causation. If you are interested in organizing a field trip for your school, please contact Fajalab@childrens.harvard.edu.
In October, Madison Surmacz, one of our research assistants, presented a poster at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s 70th annual meeting in New York.
Dr. Faja was recently promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. In addition, she was awarded the Bridgemohan Chair in Developmental Medicine. Dr. Bridgemohan’s family, the Division of Developmental Medicine, and Faja Lab celebrated this honor along with Dr. Faja in May. The Chair honors Dr. Carolyn Bridgemohan––who was a dear colleague of Dr. Faja, an innovator, mentor, and passionate advocate for autistic people. Dr. Faja is eager to carry on Dr. Bridgemohan’s legacy through research in the Faja Lab and by mentoring others who will contribute to advances supporting improved quality of life for autistic people and their families.
In May, members of the lab presented seven posters at the International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
In recognition of Autism Month in April, Boston Children’s Hospital’s Autism Spectrum Center (ASC) hosted an information tabling event at the main campus on Thursday, April 13th, and in Peabody on Wednesday, April 19th. Sensory bags containing coloring pages, crayons, and a sensory fidget toy were distributed to families. The Faja Lab joined ASC staff and provided information to families and staff about participation in ongoing research projects.
Each of our staff members wore a different color of the rainbow to celebrate neurodiversity. The rainbow spectrum of colors is often associated with autism to represent the range of abilities and diagnoses within the autism spectrum.
In March, one of our research coordinators, Aiko Jones, presented a poster at the Meeting on Language in Autism (MoLA) held at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
We sent a newsletter to participants in Faja Lab projects either in January or April. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact Fajalab@childrens.harvard.edu.
Faja lab doctoral student, Melody Altschuler, presented data from the GAMES and EASY projects that demonstrated executive functioning profiles do not correspond to diagnostic classification among a group of 186 7–12-year-olds with no clinical concerns (n=76) or diagnosed with autism (n=42), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n=28), or co-occurring autism + attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n=40). The executive function profile corresponded with brain responses during a cognitive task, whereas diagnosis did not.
In August 2022, we enjoyed a Faja Lab tradition of kayaking on the Charles. It was a gorgeous evening to be out on the water and a great chance to enjoy some time relaxing together.
In May, members of the lab presented three posters at the International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Austin, Texas.
