Elissa Ball is a former data analysis intern for Spectrum. Prior to coming here, she worked in the Yonkers Public Library and as a tutor for Kaplan Test Prep. She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, with a minor in mechanical engineering, from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.
Elissa Ball
From this contributor
Why autism training for police isn’t enough
Inconsistent and underfunded training programs may hurt more than they help, experts say.
Why autism training for police isn’t enough
By
Elissa Ball, Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
26 November 2020 | 16 min read
Autistic and non-autistic youth get different healthcare as they age
Young people with autism receive more mental health services, more consistent primary care and less gynecological or urgent care than their neurotypical peers.
Autistic and non-autistic youth get different healthcare as they age
By
Elissa Ball
23 September 2020 | 3 min read
Almost one-third of autistic children in the United States live in poverty
Children younger than age 5 and Black and Hispanic children on the spectrum experience the most financial hardships.
Almost one-third of autistic children in the United States live in poverty
By
Elissa Ball
19 August 2020 | 1 min read
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With lower-than-average article processing fees, and issues dedicated to topics important to the continent, the journal hopes to give African neuroscience research much-needed international visibility.
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Lauren Schenkman
28 October 2025 | 5 min listen
New method identifies two-hit genetic variation in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 27 October.
New method identifies two-hit genetic variation in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 27 October.
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Jill Adams
28 October 2025 | 2 min read
The missing half of the neurodynamical systems theory
Bifurcations—an underexplored concept in neuroscience—can help explain how small differences in neural circuits give rise to entirely novel functions.
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Bifurcations—an underexplored concept in neuroscience—can help explain how small differences in neural circuits give rise to entirely novel functions.
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Xiao-Jing Wang
27 October 2025 | 9 min listen