In the news | May 9, 2025Autism, Rubella and the Rising Fear of Vaccines Catalight Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson, Ed.D., shares a personal story about her son, who was exposed to rubella from his birth mother in utero. Once a common illness, rubella is now rare in the United States because of vaccines but Dr. Samelson is concerned that more parents are skipping vaccines due false belief that they cause autism. Read News
In the news | April 25, 2025Autism Community Sounds Alarms Over ‘Harmful’ RFK Jr. Comments Emphasizing the complexity and diversity of autism diagnoses, Catalight’s Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson noted that the spectrum is often misunderstood and cannot be reduced to a single narrative. Read News
In the news | April 18, 2025RFK’s Harmful Commentary on Autism Creates a Vital Opportunity for the Autism Therapy Industry A Behavioral Health Business editorial expresses Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson’s reminder that the CDC report isn’t just numbers – it’s about people and families. Read News
In the news | April 17, 2025RFK Jr. Insists Genes Haven’t Caused Autism ‘Epidemic’ in Study Update Newsweek captured Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson’s thoughts on the CDC autism prevalence report following its release. Read News
In the news | April 17, 2025RFK Attacks Environmental Toxins as Culprit of Autism In Fierce Healthcare, Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson stresses that, when it comes to autism causes and increasing prevalence, there are no simple answers. Read News
In the news | April 17, 2025RFK Jr. Insists Genes Haven’t Caused Autism ‘Epidemic’ in Study Update Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson weighs in on the CDC report in the San Luis Obisbo Tribune – reminding readers that rising autism prevalence is a complex issue that requires a critical examination of the new data. Read News
In the news | April 16, 20254 Takeaways From RFK Jr.’s Press Conference on CDC Autism Report Chief Clinical Officer Doreen Samelson interviewed with U.S. News and World Report about the assertion of an autism “epidemic.” Read News
Video | March 31, 2025What Does Developmental Disability Awareness Month Mean to You and the People You Support? Hear what Catalight, Easterseals Hawaii and Easterseals Northern California employees had to say. Watch video
Article | March 21, 2025Impact Report: 2024 Year in Review As an industry leader, Catalight is driven by our goal to dismantle barriers by personalizing care. Knowing the increased demand to services, we are committed to creating innovative treatments and training to increase the wellbeing of our clients and families and make lasting impacts to equitable care. Read article
In the news | February 6, 2025What Happens When an Autism Screening Flags More Mild Cases A Drexel University study found that pediatricians using a standardized screening tool identified potential autism in toddlers five times more often than expert diagnosticians. However, only half of flagged families pursued a free follow-up evaluation, compared to 92% in usual care. In Psychology Today, Catalight’s Doreen Samelson, Ed.D., and Lindsey Sneed, Ph.D., emphasize the need for high-quality assessments and early intervention. Read News
