For the past two years I’ve been privileged to work with Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone and his team of scientists to explore autism and the brain. They are using high power magnetic fields to reach inside our minds to unravel some of the mysteries of how we think. The technique they use is called TMS, for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

In my case, the result of some TMS experiments has been truly life-changing. I credit TMS with fundamentally altering the way I see and engage other people. My strong belief in the power of TMS is solidly based on my own experiences in the lab.

TMS uses the principle of induction to deliver tiny amounts of energy to precisely targeted areas of the brain. It’s done by placing a handheld electromagnet against the scalp and pulsing it with energy. The resultant magnetic field reaches into the brain, where it induces tiny electrical currents in the threads of brain cells, or neurons. That energy can enhance or inhibit the functioning of areas as small as 1% of our total brain mass. The process itself is really quite simple, but figuring out where and how to deploy it… that is the great mystery.

The TMS Lab is part of the Berenson-Allen Center for Non Invasive Brain Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

I invite you to read more about the lab on their own website, and on my blog. If you are interested in participating in any of our studies you can write Lindsay Oberman, PhD.

Elms College, Chicopee, Massachusetts

The College of Our Lady of the Elms is located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, about four miles from my company.  I have a strong desire to support my local community, so it’s no surprise that we’d choose to work together. In 2008 Elms was one of the first private colleges to offer a Master’s concentration in Autism.

I currently serve as an adjunct professor in the department of Communication Sciences Disorders. I invite you to join me for my Asperger Mind course, next held on Saturday March 20 2010. If you’d like to sign up online you can do so from the college site www.elms.edu. The Asperger Mind is ASD671 if taken as a graduate course, or ASD671X if taken for continuing education or professional development credit.

I do the course in one Saturday from 9 to 6 to accommodate people who travel from far away. If you plan to attend one of my classes and you need lodging I recommend the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. Just mention Elms College for the academic rate.

Elms is the only college in New England to offer a Master’s concentration in autism.

Check back in the summer for details on my classes on using Look Me in the Eye and my upcoming book, Geeks Rule, in middle and high school environments.

Monarch School, Houston, Texas

Monarch is a private school for kids with neurological differences. People have moved across the country to place their kids in Monarch’s calm environment. I met the folks at Monarch when I spoke there in late 2007. That visit sparked a collaboration that continues to this day.

John Barone and the crew (faculty and students both) have written a teaching guide to Look Me in the Eye, and we are working together now on a guide for my next book.