Autism Spa Podcasts is a production of the Afshar Group, a public affairs advisory firm. AfsharGroup.com
Watch as Shahriar speaks with Jill Escher, Autism Research Philanthropist and one of the speakers at the Autism Society San Diego’s Social and Mental Health Conference 2025. They will cover aging and the challenges presented for parents of individuals with high support needs on the spectrum.
You may watch the full episode here.
Or listen to it here.
Bio: Jill Escher wears many hats in the autism world. As an autism research philanthropist though the Escher Fund for Autism she promotes and funds research on the genetic toxicology of autism and related neurodevelopmental pathologies. Her work has been lauded by the mutagenesis and epigenetics research communities, and she has served on the governing council of the venerable Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society, where she co-chairs the Germ Cell and Heritable Effects special interest group.
As president of Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area from 2013-2019, she grew a nearly defunct affiliate of the Autism Society of America into a regional powerhouse. As president of National Council on Severe Autism since its inception she is promoting awareness and solutions for individuals and families affected by severe forms of autism. She is also a housing provider to adults with developmental disabilities in the Bay Area through her family business, Claradon Properties, LLC. Most importantly she is the mother of two children with nonverbal forms of autism, a young man of 25 and a teen girl of 18.
Jill’s personal story has been published in the journal Environmental Epigenetics and on her research website GermlineExposures.org.
A former lawyer, she clerked for members of the federal district court judiciary after earning a JD from UC Berkeley Law School in 1996, with a concurrent Masters in City and Regional Planning. She also has a BA from Stanford University, 1987. She lives with her family in San Jose, California.
Linkdeln Link: linkedin.com/in/jill-escher-8b676443
At Autism Spa, we engage experts, luminaries & champions that are working on initiatives that are meant to transform the lives of our special needs families. If you want to speak to our audience, profile your products or services or share your transformational experience, then we want to hear from you at shahriar@autismsocietysandiego.org
This has been a production of the Afshar Group, a public affairs advisory firm. www.AfsharGroup.com
