Annual Conference
3rd Annual NJACE & RUCARES Conference
September 24th, 2026
8 am to 5 pm
Rutgers University Douglass Student Center
100 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
The NJACE, in collaboration with the Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (RUCARES) at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute hosted their 3rd Annual Conference on September 24, 2026.
NJACE is offering BACB CEUs and APA CE credits supported by Autism NJ.
Welcome – Dr. Wayne Fisher
Dr. Wayne Fisher welcomes attendees and opens the day.
Dr. Fisher is the Henry Rutgers Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a core faculty member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute, and the founding director of RUCARES.
Keynote Speakers
Charting a New Path Forward for Repetitive Behavior Research in Autism – Dr. Brian Boyd
In this keynote, Dr. Brian Boyd looks at the debate over whether repetitive behaviors in autism should be a target for intervention, and outlines a research approach built on stakeholder perspectives, individualized goals, and meaningful outcomes.
Dr. Boyd is Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).
Interrogating Critical Genes for Neurodevelopmental Disorders – Dr. Xinyu Zhao
In this keynote, Dr. Xinyu Zhao explains how her lab uses human stem cells, mouse genetics, and primate models to study risk genes such as FMR1, uncovering mechanisms that may contribute to fragile X syndrome and autism.
Dr. Zhao is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an investigator at the Waisman Center.
Additional Presentations
Mechanisms of Convergence and Divergence of Epilepsy and Autism – Dr. Ethan Goldberg
Dr. Ethan Goldberg explores the overlap between childhood epilepsy and autism, focusing on the gene SCN1A and how its mutations disrupt a key class of inhibitory neurons as the brain develops.
Dr. Goldberg is a Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs CHOP’s Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative.
Language, Reading, and the Neural Noise Theory of Autism – Dr. William Graves
Dr. William Graves presents brain imaging research on how people with and without autism process words and phrases, and what the results suggest about the neural noise theory of autism.
Dr. Graves is a cognitive neuroscientist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University-Newark, where his lab studies the brain basis of language and reading.
Reducing Treatment Relapse After Behavioral Intervention – Dr. Brian Greer
Dr. Brian Greer shares NIH-funded research on why destructive behavior can return after successful treatment, and how a two-way exchange between the lab and the clinic can help prevent relapse.
Dr. Greer is Director of CSH-RUCARES, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a core member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute.
Balancing the Circuit: Neuropilin-2 and Autism-Epilepsy Risk – Dr. Tracy Tran
Closing Remarks – Dr. Wayne Fisher
Dr. Wayne Fisher closes out the day with final remarks.
Contact Us: NJACE@childrens-specialized.org