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
Explore more from The Transmitter
Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
By
Alissa de Chassey
4 August 2026 | 5 min read
Using antisense oligos to plumb rare genetic conditions, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 3 August.
Using antisense oligos to plumb rare genetic conditions, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 3 August.
By
Jill Adams
4 August 2026 | 2 min read
Este artigo mudou minha vida: adotando um dos primeiros modelos de neurociência naturalística
Um artigo publicado na PNAS em 1992 mostrou que o canto das aves aumenta a expressão de um gene de resposta imediata no prosencéfalo dessas aves. O estudo revelou a Ribeiro a importância de investigar as respostas moleculares em contextos naturalísticos.
Este artigo mudou minha vida: adotando um dos primeiros modelos de neurociência naturalística
Um artigo publicado na PNAS em 1992 mostrou que o canto das aves aumenta a expressão de um gene de resposta imediata no prosencéfalo dessas aves. O estudo revelou a Ribeiro a importância de investigar as respostas moleculares em contextos naturalísticos.
By
Sidarta Ribeiro
3 August 2026 | 5 min read