EPISODE 63: Co-occurring Conditions in Autism With Brad Ferguson of Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of Missouri   INTRO: Hi, everyone! Welcome back to My Autism Tribe. I hope everyone is hanging in there. School is out, so no more of the Non-Traditional Instruction in our home, however, we are going a little crazier as the days go on. Regardless, thanks for checking back in, and if this is your first time, welcome. I hope you find a piece of your autism advocacy here. Today’s guest is Dr. Brad Ferguson, an Assistant Research Professor in the Departments of Health Psychology, and Radiology at the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of Missouri. I wonder if he has all of this on a business card (laugh). I’m really pumped about the information that he’s going to share today, so please stay tuned. Don’t forget to check us out on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter platforms, and if you’re enjoying this podcast we sure would love a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps make our voices stronger. Thanks for listening!   SEGMENT: Dr. Ferguson has been conducting research in autism for over 12 years, and his main research focus over that period of time has been the study of co-occurring conditions in autism, mainly gastrointestinal problems and problem behaviors. His goal is to find out why many autistic individuals have co-occurring conditions so that they can be addressed, which will ultimately lead to increased quality of life. Let’s welcome Dr. Ferguson to our show.   CONCLUSION: There are so many organizations out there that are doing amazing research on autism-related topics – many of them that I’m just discovering. These people are devoting their lives to make sure we are making positive strides, gaining more information than we had yesterday, in order to make improvements in the lives of those we love so much. Thanks for being a part of My Autism Tribe, and I’ll talk to you soon!   ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: thompsoncenter.missouri.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheThompsonCenter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mutcautism/