WE ARE UNLOCKING A CHILD'S POTENTIAL
OUR MISSION
Making earlier identification and treatment for autism and related vulnerabilities accessible to children everywhere.
OUR STORY
Perhaps cliché, but nonetheless true, our story starts at the intersection of art and science. Through his work as a professor, psychologist and neurodevelopmentalist, Founder Ami Klin observed an incredibly smart, high-functioning adult with autism that sparked his curiosity. Ben (pseudonym), managed a career in a very technical field while being significantly hindered in life with limited social development. Ben embodied the unique contributions that individuals with autism make in society through their own success and self-determination—the contributions that change the narrative of autism from one of disability to one of diversity and optimal outcomes.
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, PhD
EarliTec Chief Clinical Officer
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 and Georgia Research Alliance, we are pioneering clinically validated technologies that enable parents and providers to know where an individual child is on the spectrum and to tailor treatment for the greatest personal gains. Ami and Warren remain key contributors, building on their earlier efforts and seeking to improve the lives of patients and families who experience this life-long condition.
We invite you to join our efforts.
The inspiration for The Marcus Foundation stemmed from an employee facing challenges in caring for her autistic son. Today, the foundation serves as a catalyst for our efforts, enabling us to collectively make a lasting and impactful difference in people’s lives.