Our Collaborators
Elaine Hall
Consultant
Elaine is the Founder and Director of The Miracle Project®. When her son was diagnosed with autism, Elaine developed methods to train staff and volunteers and created The Miracle Project®, which was profiled in the Emmy-winning HBO documentary, AUTISM: The Musical. Elaine is the author of two books, “Now I See The Moon”, a memoir, and “Seven Keys to Unlock Autism”, a guide for parents and professionals. She has appeared on CNN, CBS, Oprah Radio, Autism Radio, and her work has been featured in the LA Times, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Anna Zembo
MS, CCC-SLP
Project Director, Theater Director
Anna is a certified speech-language pathologist specializing in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and complex communication needs, with experience working in schools and clinics, as well as residential and recreational programs. Anna is also a dance instructor with over ten years of experience teaching children of all ages and various abilities in styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and creative movement. As a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Anna contributed to numerous research teams studying social communication, therapeutic efficacy, and emotional regulation in individuals with autism. Anna has been involved with TMP®-NE as Program Director since 2017.
Rachel Balaban
Movement Director
Rachel is co-founder and co-director of Artists and Scientists as Partners (ASaP), which advocates for arts in healthcare and facilitates studies of the theory and engagement with the practice of the arts in healing. She also founded and teaches Dance for All People (DAPpers) for people of all ages and all abilities. Rachel is committed to making dance accessible to all populations and leads movement workshops for schools, faculty, foundations, corporations, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Rachel has enjoyed her role as Movement Director of TMP®-NE since 2017.
Shelley Katsh
MA, MSW
Music Director
Shelley is a musician and licensed clinical social worker. Her book, “The Music Within You”, co-authored with Carol Merle-Fishman, has been utilized in music therapy programs throughout the country since it was initially published in 1985. Since moving to Rhode Island in 1986, in addition to playing piano and accordion in several bands, she has worked in the field of adoption. A performer of music from a wide range of traditions, as evidenced in her CD “From the Inside Out” with Cathy Clasper-Torch, Shelley is passionate about the positive role music can play in mental, physical and spiritual health.
Amy Laurent
PhD, OTR/L
Autism Support Specialist
Amy specializes in supporting Autistic individuals. She is the co-founder and co-director of Autism Level UP! Her work involves creating learning environments designed to facilitate children’s active engagement at home, in schools, and throughout their communities. She is a co-author of the SCERTS model and frequently lectures around the globe. She is passionate about neurodiversity and helping others to honor and understand the implications of "different ways of being" in relation to navigating the physical and social world. Amy strives to practice what she preaches and uses her love of play, dance, and movement to meet her own regulatory needs.
Barry Prizant
PhD, CCC-SLP
A
utism Support Specialist
Barry is a certified Speech-language Pathologist with more than 45 year’s experience as a clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant. Barry is co-author of “The SCERTS Model: A comprehensive educational approach for children with autism”, has published more than 130 articles and chapters in scholarly journals and seminal volumes on neurodevelopmental childhood disabilities, and has presented more than 800 seminars internationally. His most recent book, “Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism” (Simon & Schuster, 2015), was awarded the Autism Society of America’s Dr. Temple Grandin Award for outstanding literary work in autism. Barry also is a performing drummer and percussionist with a special interest in the positive impact of the arts on quality of life for persons with disabilities.
Julie Adams Strandberg
Consultant
Julie is co-founder of Artists and Scientist as Partners (ASaP), distinguished senior lecturer at Brown University, founding director of dance in the Brown University Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, and co-founder of Dancing Legacy. The four primary goals of Julie’s research and programs are: to provide dancers with holistic, multi-faceted ways in which to be artists in our culture; to advocate for the inclusion of the arts, and particularly dance, in the education of EVERY child; and to develop and design materials and programs that provide broad access to dance as an art form to all persons, including pre-professional and professional dancers; students in grades K-university; neurodiverse populations, and the general public. The inclusion of persons with autism and other cognitive and physical challenges, often denied access to the arts, is consistent with the focus of Julie’s work. As a grandparent of a child on the autism spectrum, Julie also brings personal experiences and a special commitment to TMP®-NE.