Safe and Sound Task Force

Judge Kimberly S. Taylor - Task Force Chairperson
Greg Adams
Dr. James Ball
Captain William A. Cannata, Jr.
Officer Jimmy Donohoe
Dr. Stephen Edelson
Ruth Elaine Hane
Stephen Shore, Ph.D.

Judge Kimberly S. Taylor retired as a Superior Court Judge from the 22nd Judicial District, Sixth Division of North Carolina. The mother of an 18-year-old son with autism, Judge Taylor played an integral role in getting autism spectrum disorder information added to the basic law enforcement training for the state of North Carolina. Judge Taylor currently works for a law firm in Winston Salem, NC.

back to top

Greg Adams is the Associate Director of Emergency Medical Education for MedicAlert Foundation. His focus is on providing education that helps emergency responders provide quality patient care. He has worked in emergency medical services for over 30 years and still maintains his paramedic license and National Registry status. He also completed 23 years of service as a medic with the US Army finishing his military career as a First Sergeant.


back to top

Dr. James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, is the President/CEO of JB Autism Consulting. He has been in the autism field for over twenty years providing educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. He is the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families in New York City. He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.

Dr. Ball is also a member of the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC) Board of Trustees, and a member of the COSAC Professional Advisory Board. A past member of the Autism Society Board of Directors, he is currently co-chairperson of the Autism Society Panel of Professional Advisors and sits on the advisory board for the Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine. Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics related to autism, such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the breakthrough book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers.

back to top

Captain William A. Cannata, Jr., has been a member of the fire service for 30 years, and became a member of Massachusetts’ Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition in November 2003. He is now its statewide coordinator. Bill is also the parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder.

back to top

Officer Jimmy Donohoe spearheaded the Take Me Home program for the Pensacola Police Department. Working with a local law enforcement software company, Officer Donohoe created a database where participants who are unable to speak or properly identify themselves to police officers register with a photo, physical description and contact information so first responders can provide special assistance that may be required when contact with a person with autism occurs.

back to top

Dr. Stephen Edelson is director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Autism Society and its Oregon Chapter. Dr. Edelson’s research endeavors have spanned a variety of areas in autism, including sensory interventions (auditory, vision, and deep pressure), aberrant behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and stereotypic repetitive behaviors) and cognition (stimulus over selectivity, classification learning, perceptual discrimination). He co-edited a book with Dr. Rimland, Recovering Autistic Children, and is the editor of the Autism Research Review International newsletter.

back to top

Ruth Elaine Hane grew up surrounded by criminal and civil legal cases, with a mother who typed the court transcripts for her district court reporter father, but she did not understand that laws applied to everyone. She was known to the school, police and fire department as a six-year-old troublemaker, who would probably become a juvenile delinquent with her escalating truancy, arson and stealing.

Ruth Elaine is a contributing author to Ask and Tell, Self-Advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum and Sharing Our Stories. Born a Rubella measles baby, unable to tolerate touch, Ruth Elaine acquired language at five but was not diagnosed correctly with High Functioning Autism until 1995. Ruth Elaine graduated as an honors student from college and mentors others on the spectrum. She founded a social group, the Aspie Get-Together, and presents at numerous conferences. Presently, she serves on the Autism Society’s Board of Directors.

back to top

Dr. Stephen Shore works with children and talks about life on the autism spectrum through international consults and presentations on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure. Diagnosed with "atypical development with strong autistic tendencies," Stephen was nonverbal until the age of four. He has published several books and many articles and completed his doctoral dissertation at Boston University focused on matching best practice to the needs of people on the autism spectrum. Recently, Dr. Shore accepted a professorship at Adelphi University teaching courses in special education and autism. Stephen is President emeritus of the Asperger's Association of New England, and serves on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), the Autism Services Association of Massachusetts, MAAP, and the College Internship Program.

back to top