The Park Avenue Congregational Church UCC confirmation class invites you to participate at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, on Zoom for "Neurodiversity 101," a CONNECT event to help us get more familiar with what neurodiversity means (including autism, ADHD, and more) and how we can be good allies to folks in our lives and in our community who are neurodiverse.

Dr. Eileen Crehan, PhD, from the Arlington Youth Counseling Center, will convey the professional side of neurodiversity, and Tait Smith, a neurodiverse and queer student who works with Dr. Crehan at Tufts, will express the personal and advocacy side.

There will be time for questions. 

Email Mike RichThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the church office This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get an email with the Zoom link.

Crehan (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher. She is the director of Pegasus Consulting, Assessment, & Psychological Services, which provides services and trainings relating to autism and neurodivergence in adolescence and adulthood. She is also an assistant professor at Tufts University.

Along with a community advisory board, her research group focuses on how we can improve accessibility to services for autistic folks. She loves being able to combine science and advocacy in her day to day life. Outside of work, she loves designing cakes to look like noncake items, such as tacos, coffee cups and tigers (her daughter's favorite).

Smith (any pronouns) is a neurodivergent queer student attending Tufts University. While studying economics, Smith often seek to apply knowledge and personal experience in work that seeks to assist disadvantaged and exploited groups. Smith works in both the Crehan Lab alongside Crehan and in the Tufts Labor Lab with Dr. Drusilla Brown. Outside of work life, Tait is an avid foodie running a food and recipe blog, "Cooking Joyfully."

This news announcement was published Tuesday, May 24, 2022.