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Biography
Rachel Loftin is the chief clinical officer at Prosper Health. She has personal connections to autism and was previously on the editorial board of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Education
PhD Indiana University
Internship and Postdoc in autism at Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine
Certifications
She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, and through PSYPACT
Area of Expertise
Modalities
Affiliations
Research and Publications
Woodbury-Smith, M. R., Westphal, A., &Loftin, R. (2024). Training in Autism Among First Responders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(4), 1233-1234.
Wijekoon, S., Robison, J., Welch, C., Westphal, A., Loftin, R., Perry, B., ... & Penner, M. (2024). Neurodivergence and the Rabbit Hole of Extremism: Uncovering Lived Experience. Autism in Adulthood.
Malow, B. A., Mazurek, M., Stobbe, G., Agrawal, M. M., Loftin, R., Caudel, D., ... & Sohl, K. (2023). ECHO autism adult healthcare: Training community clinicians to provide quality care for autistic adults. Autism Research, 10.1002/aur.2996.
Welch, C., Senman, L., Loftin, R., Piccolini, C., … & Penner, M. (2022). Understanding the use of the term “weaponized autism” in an alt-right social media platform. Journal of Autism and developmental Disorders, 10.1007/s10803-022-05701-0
Woodbury-Smith, M. R., Loftin, R., Westphal, A., & Volkmar, F. R. (2022). Vulnerability to ideologically-motivated violence among individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 873121.
Cheak-Zamora, N., Farmer, J., Crossman, M., Malow, B., Mazurek, M., Kuhlthau, K., Stobbe, G., Loftin, R., … & Sohl, K. (2021). Provider perspectives on the extension for community healthcare outcomes autism: Transition to adulthood program. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 42(2), 91-100.
Mazurek, M.O., Stobbe, G., Loftin, R., … & Sohl, K. (2020). ECHO Autism Transition: Enhancing healthcare for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 10.1177/1362361319879616
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What Is Stimming? A Guide to Autistic Self-Regulation and Expression
Self-stimulatory behavior, or "stimming", is a physical behavior used by autistic and other individuals (including those who are allistic) to regulate emotional or sensory stress, sensory seek, and/or express their emotions. In autistic people, stimming is often repetitive and is a way to calm their minds and bodies.
Personally, I have stimmed my entire life in many ways. Notably, I am always carrying a rolling stim toy with me. It helps to ground me when I get anxious, or when the noises in a room are too loud or overwhelming.
Everyone stims, whether they realize it or not. If you’ve ever bounced your knee while bored, or clicked a pen open and closed, you’ve stimmed. But for autistic folks, stimming serves a key role in sensory and emotional management. It’s not something to fix, but rather something to understand.
In this article, we’ll explain what stimming is, why it happens, and how to support yourself or someone around you who stims.
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Autism and Co-Occurring Conditions: A Guide
Autism is known to co-occur with several health conditions—but what does this mean? What other diagnoses are most prevalent among autistic individuals, and does an autism diagnosis inform treatment of co-occurring conditions?
Is Prosper Health Legit?
“Is Prosper Health legit?” The short answer: yes, Prosper Health is a legitimate company dedicated to filling the gap in autism-affirming mental health care for adults. I spent a great deal of time researching this question myself last year, and I hope my experience can help you make your own conclusion and connect to the resources you are looking for.
When I first found Prosper Health, I was 27 and hadn’t yet been diagnosed with autism. I had looked for mental health resources for autistic adults before, but always came up with little to show for it. With limited reviews and testimonials from other sources about Prosper Health, at the time in only its first year of operation, I was hesitant.
Trustworthiness is a critical part of healthcare, especially for medically disenfranchised communities. Seeking care myself, I was worried about wasting time with poor quality, ill-informed care, and even worse, of being scammed.
