About Us

Our Mission.

Making earlier identification and treatment for ASD and related disabilities accessible to children everywhere.

Our Story.

Perhaps cliché, but nonetheless true, our story starts at the intersection of art and science. Founder Ami Klin, professor, psychologist, researcher, and neurodevelopmentalist-at-heart, was working with developmentally disabled patients.  One in particular, Ben (pseudonym), sparked his curiosity. An  incredibly smart, high-functioning adult, Ben managed a career in a very technical field while being significantly hindered in life with limited social development.

At Yale, Ami developed research methodologies that would allow younger and younger children with autism to sculpt their reality, such that researchers could begin to understand how they were viewing the world and in turn, how this view would affect their development.

“Why are we missing them? Why can’t we get these little babies engaged and involved in the saga of reciprocal social interaction, which is the platform for brain development, and create a situation whereby the time they are three, they might still have the autism trait, but they are not developmentally disabled.” 

- Ami Klin

A Self-Propelled Kaleidoscope Created by Founder, Warren Jones

A Self-Propelled Kaleidoscope
Created by Founder, Warren Jones

Around the same time, a bright young student at Yale, majoring in art and mechanical engineering signed up for a practicum in autism choosing placement at Benhaven, one of the first schools for children with autism in the U.S. There, Warren Jones brought his creativity to bear helping severely disabled and impaired children use painting as a form of expression, helping him learn about their perceptions and thought processes through art.

Aware that autistic children are drawn to repetitive patterns, Warren coupled his art and engineering interests to build a gigantic kaleidoscope propelled by peddling a bicycle and to develop a head-tracking device that monitored movement while wearers of the device looked at clouds. Enlisting Ami as an advisor on these endeavors, the two met and began a collaboration that would bring eye-tracking, and more specifically looking-behavior,  to the forefront of autism research. Warren’s neuroscience PhD work at Yale formed the basis of what was to come.

Today, with the support of The Marcus Foundation, we are pioneering clinically validated technologies that enable children with autism and other developmental disabilities to receive earlier and accurate diagnosis and to jump start personalized therapy for better outcomes. Ami and Warren remain key contributors, building on their earlier efforts and seeking to improve the lives of patients and families who suffer from this life-long condition. We invite you to join our efforts.

When Bernie Marcus, of The Marcus Foundation, was inspired by an employee struggling to care for her autistic son, he decided to act. Today, his philanthropy and that of the Marcus Foundation are kickstarting our work. Together, and leveraging his support, we can make a lifetime of difference.