Alex and Jamie Schneider

Autism Lights #317 are Alex and Jamie Schneider.

Alex and Jamie Schneider are 23 year old identical twins from New York who have autism. Alex and Jamie received national attention for their inspiring story of running in races as individuals with autism. Their family has developed a website on their accomplishments in life called Autism Runners. Alex and Jamie Schneider are Autism Lights for the way in which their running raises awareness for autism and the successful interests those with autism can have.

Alex and Jamie Schneider have prepared for and competed in over 130 races since they began their interest in running at age 8, including most recently the New York City Marathon on November 3, 2013. They ran the 2013 New York City Marathon to raise funds for the Association for Science in Autism Treatment. The following is a news story from ABC News about Alex and Jamie Schneider's participation in the New York City Marathon in 2013.



ABC US News | ABC Business News  

Alex and Jamie are both nonverbal and because of the severity of their place on the autism spectrum, a guide runs with them in races to help if necessary with the variety of potential obstacles that might take place on a run outside. Both Alex and Jamie look forward to running in races and have their own styles. Alex is the faster runner and is coached by Kevin McDermott and Stephen Dalton. Jamie really enjoys the experience of a leisurely pace as he runs and is coached by his father Allan Schneider. Allan Schneider says about Jamie, "I'll explain to people, there's not a lot I can share with him, but when we're running, it's an unspoken language (ABC News)."

The twins' mother Robyn Schneider offers a reason to The New York Times why her sons enjoy running so much as individuals with autism. Robyn Schneider says, "They thrive on repetition and routine of racing. You finish, get a medal, high-five everyone at the finish line and go home (Autistic Twins Find a Release in Running, New York Times)."

Robyn Schneider said this about the days her sons race.

Race day is always a special and exciting day for us all. My emotions are high as I wait impatiently at the finish line. I watch first, for Alex, and then Jamie.  And as they each approach the finish line, my heart pounding rapidly; I tearfully cheer, and think of how proud I am of their accomplishments.  After the race, as we celebrate among the crowd of runners, many will approach them and offer congratulations and high fives. How grateful we are that we have discovered the gift of running (Autism Runners)!

Other Activities: Alex and Jamie participate in other activities, including horseback riding, fitness exercise, bicycling, swimming, and learning piano (Beyond Running, Autism Runners).

High School Graduation: Alex and Jamie Schneider's life included academics as well as running. Alex and Jamie Schneider graduated in June, 2011, from the Genesis School, a private school in Long Island, New York for children with autism. They also were able to walk in the graduation ceremony with their neurotypical peers at Great Neck South High School in June, 2011.  Here is a video of Alex and Jamie Schneider receiving their diploma.

Social Media: You can follow Alex and Jamie's accomplishments on the YouTube Channel of Autism Runners.

Special thanks to Alex and Jamie Schneider for being Autism Lights. Their successful experience in running offers another light on autism awareness. We hope that Alex and Jamie will keep on running. 

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.  

Kellen Binder

Autism Light #316 is Dr. Kellen Binder.

Dr. Kellen Binder is a Chiropractor with The Wellness Way and a Line Therapist at the Centerpiece Center for Autism in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Dr. Kellen Binder is an Autism Light for his utilization of chiropractic care to help people with autism.

Education: Dr. Kellen Bider graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

The following is a video where Dr. Kellen Binder explains how he decided to become a Chirorpactor.


Here is a video of Dr. Kellen Binder explaining how Chiropractic care can help some people with autism. Part of his treatment includes sensory friendly chiropractic adjustment rooms.


In the above video Dr. Kellen Binder says:

For children with autism there is always that added stress on their nervous system to speak, interact, or even use parts of their body every single ay. Usually children that have ASD are either hypersensitive or hyposensistive to their environment, which means they are taking in way too much sensory information or hardly any at all. Seeing a chiropractor and getting adjusted helps children feel that balance between hypersensitive and hyposensistive. With balance comes less frustration because that child has more control on themselves and what they are sensitive to.

2013 Autism and Chiropractic Event: On April 25, 2013, Dr. Kellen Binder hosted an event with Dr. Amanda Pigeon for Autism Awareness Month on Autism and Chiropractic.

Social Media: You can follow Dr. Kellen Binder's work at the following social media areas:

• LinkedIn Account of Dr. Kellen Binder
• Twittter Account of Dr. Kellen Binder-@Dr_KellenBinder (Note: Dr. Binder has set up an account on Twitter but does not appear to use it at the time this article was written.)

Dr. Frank M. Painter has compiled research on autism and chiropractic care that is available online at this link. This research may be helpful to further understand the reasons that some chiropractors are making a difference with some patients with autism.
You can learn more about Dr. Kellen Binder at his staff page at The Wellness Way. Special thanks to Dr. Kellen Binder for using his skills in Chiropractic care to help children and people with autism in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area. To read about other Chiropractors featured on Autism Light use the Chiropractor label.    Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Robert MacNeil

Autism Light #315 is Robert MacNeil.

Robert MacNeil is 82 years old and is an Autism Grandfather. Robert MacNeil, also known as Robin MacNeil, is an author and a news journalist who along with Jim Lehr anchored the MacNeil-Lehr Newshour on PBS for 20 years. MacNeil was born in Canada and became an American citizen in 1997. He has homes in both Nova Scotia and Manhattan, New York. Robert MacNeil is an Autism Light for raising awareness of autism by using his news reporting skills to tell the story of autism, including that of his Grandson Nick.

Education: Robert MacNeil graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada in 1955.

News Anchor: From 1975-1995, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehr hosted the MacNeil-Lehr Newshour on PBS. The daily news program that focused on a single feature was popular and groundbreaking. On October 20, 1995, Jim Lehr gave a Tribute to Robert MacNeil as MacNeil ended his time with the program.  After a hiatus of over a decade, Robert MacNeil returned briefly to the Newshour in 2011 to do a 6 part Autism Now series that has a personal connection to his family. Here is the news segment that Robert MacNeil did on his then 6 year old Grandson Nick's life, as part of the series on Autism Now.

More information on this series can be found on the PBS Newshour Autism Now Webpage. Author: Robert MacNeil's biography on the PBS Newshour Website shares this about his writings:

MacNeil is the author of several books. "The People Machine," (1968) studied the relationship between television and politics. He has written three memoirs, "The Right Place at the Right Time" (1982), "Wordstruck" (1989) and "Looking For My Country, Finding Myself in America" (2003). He wrote three best-selling novels, "Burden of Desire" (1992), "The Voyage" (1995) and "Breaking News" (1998). He was co-author of "The Story of English," companion volume to the BBC-PBS television series which he hosted, and its sequel, "Do You Speak American?" (2005), a three-hour PBS series on American English today (PBS News Hour-Where Are They Now?)

Honors: In 1997, Robert MacNeil was made an officer in the Order of Canada in honor of his contributions in the field of journalism. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian award that is given to a Canadian.   You can find out more about Robert MacNeil at the following pages.

• Robert MacNeil's Wikipedia Page
• PBS News Hour -Where Are They Now? 
• NNDB People Webpage

Special thanks to Robert MacNeil for his devotion as an Autism Grandparent and for shining a light on autism with his talent in journalism. Robert MacNeil's contribution to the Autism Now series helped raise awareness of autism.  

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Tiffany Alberts

Autism Light #314 is Tiffany Alberts.

Tiffany Alberts is a Special Needs Resource Teacher at Lakeview Middle School for the Warsaw Community Schools in Warsaw, Indiana. With her leadership she arranged for a 13 year old boy named Jacob Brock who has multiple disabilities, including autism and cerebral palsy, to have the opportunity to score a touchdown in a special Pink Out Football Game on September 10, 2013. Tiffany Alberts is an Autism Light for the joy she brought to Jacob Brock's life through setting up this opportunity for him. Autism Light also gives a special mention to the Warsaw Tigers football team who helped Tiffany Alberts create this special experience for Jacob.

Jacob Brock loves football and he had surgery last year to temporarily extend his ability to walk and run. Playing football, like so many young people do, will not be physically possible for Jacob. His teacher Tiffany Alberts arranged for Jacob to have the opportunity to score a touchdown in a game at his school.

Here is a video of Jacob Brock scoring the touchdown during the football game on Sept. 10, 2013.


You can also watch a video of a news story on ABC57.com when they covered Jacob Brock's first touchdown.

Tiffany Alberts said, “Jacob isn’t going to get the opportunity to run in a normal football game like a lot of typical kids can. I just thought it would be something he would really enjoy and remember. I just wanted him to have a shot (The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online).”

Jacob's parents, Jeremy and Charity Brock appreciate the dedication of Tiffany Alberts toward their son. Charity Brock said, "She's just awesome! She knows he loves to play sport (The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online).”

You can find out more about Tiffany Alberts and Jacob Brock's first touchdown in these online features.

• When a Touchdown Becomes a Homerun, Autism Speaks News Section
• Teen with Disabilities Scores His First Ever Touchdown, ABC57.com (VIDEO)
• The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made, Stacey Page Online

Special thanks to Tiffany Alberts for being an Autism Light. She is representative of the genuine commitment to go the second mile that many teachers put forth when working with their students with autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.