About Greek Singer/Songwriter Haris Alexiou

As co-founder and director of OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions in New Jersey, Maria Kechaidis oversees a team that helps children and families to manage a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges. Outside of work, Maria Kechaidis enjoys exploring the culture of Greece, including the country’s food and music. She lists Haris Alexiou among her favorite Greek singers.

Referred to by her fans as Haroula (Little Grace), Haris Alexiou is a Thebes-born vocalist and songwriter who has been a part of the Greek musical scene for more than four decades. Since releasing her first album, 12 Laika Tragoudia (12 Folk Songs), in 1975, she has become one of the most popular Greek musical artists of all time.

Over the course of her career, Alexiou has performed throughout the world, including many European cities as well as destinations in Australia, Russia, Africa, Asia, and the United States. In addition to singing in Greek, she has performed songs in French, German, Arabic, and other languages.

A specialist in the Greek musical style of rembetika, Alexiou has built a discography comprising more than three dozen solo albums and a number of collaborations with various artists. Her most recent album, Ta Oneira Ginontai Pali (Dreams Are Made Again), was released in 2014.

Signs and Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder

A New Jersey-based counselor, Maria Kechaidis serves as co-founder and clinical director of OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions, LLC. In this capacity, she provides intensive counseling and needs assessments to children and families involved in the New Jersey Children’s System of Care. Maria Kechaidis also maintains an interest in treating Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and earned a certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

The signs of ASD often start appearing in infancy and early childhood. Since infants cannot speak, most of the symptoms that appear at this young age are non-verbal in nature. Babies and toddlers with ASD will not respond to familiar voices or to their own name. Further, they will struggle with making eye contact in various scenarios. It’s also common to see babies and toddlers with ASD not imitate facial expressions and movements of their parents, or care if parents are hurt.

As children develop, there are several red flags associated with ASD. At six months, children with an autism disorder will not smile or show a joyful expression. They will continue to not respond to their name by age 1, and will likely not say any words until around 16 months. They won’t start saying meaningful two-word phrases at 2 years, as is normal.

Once kids are older, the signs and symptoms of ASD become more diverse and focus around specific disorders contained within the spectrum. However, most symptoms still revolve around social difficulties, speech challenges, non-verbal communication problems (such as preferring not to be touched), using a strange voice to speak, and facial expressions that don’t match what’s being said.

Down Syndrome - A Basic Introduction

Since 2008, Maria Kechaidis has served as clinical director of OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions, which she co-founded in Freehold, New Jersey. Maria Kechaidis and her team frequently work with children who have developmental challenges, including those with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a condition that results from the presence of an extra chromosome, specifically chromosome 21. It is the most prevalent chromosomal abnormality and affects approximately one in every 700 babies born in the United States.

Children with Down syndrome tend to have reduced muscle tone and often reach gross motor milestones at an older age than their typically developing peers. Lower muscle tone levels also may lead to trouble with feeding and a predisposition to digestive upset, one of the medical conditions common in children and adults with Down syndrome. Approximately 50 percent of children with Down syndrome have a congenital heart defect and hearing or vision problems, and all children with the condition have higher risk of pulmonary hypertension.

The majority of children with Down syndrome have mild to moderate intellectual disability. They may learn more slowly than other children and are likely to be delayed in the development of personal care skills such as dressing and toilet learning. Nevertheless, given sufficient support and encouragement, they can become highly productive citizens with valuable skills, talents, and qualities.

Brains of Children with Autism Show Folding Pattern Differences

Maria Kechaidis serves as clinical director of OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions, a company she co-founded in 2008. In her leadership role, Maria Kechaidis provides assessments and in-home services for children with autism and other intellectual and developmental challenges.

According to two studies recently released in the journal Cerebral Cortex, children with autism tend to have different folding patterns in their brains than their neurotypical peers. One set of data comes out of San Diego State University, where psychology professor Ralph-Axel Muller and his team conducted brain scans on 64 neurotypical children and 64 children with autism, all between the ages of 6 and 18. 

The researchers found that children with autism had above-average folding in parts of the brain regions that process sound and spatial information, as well as in areas that control motor skills and decision making. The brain's visual center showed fewer folds in the same children. Another set of scans confirmed these findings, which suggest either early disruptions in brain development or a secondary effect of brain overgrowth at young ages.

Another study, conducted at the University of California, Davis, performed similar scans on 154 3-year-old children, 105 of whom were boys who had autism and 49 of whom were control subjects. This study found that children with autism whose brains were enlarged had excessive folding in particular areas of the cortex. The researchers believe that this suggests a subtype of autism that involves particular brain function differences, but more research is being conducted to further understand the findings.

Study Shows Children with ASD More Prone to Food Allergies

As the co-founder and clinical director of OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions, Maria Kechaidis ensures that children and families receive quality treatment and counseling services through the continuum of care. Under the management of Maria Kechaidis, the multi-specialty practice offers intensive in-home services to children with developmental disabilities like autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A recent study from the University of Iowa has found that children with ASD are more prone to having food allergies. According to the lead author, these findings contribute to past research suggesting that immunologic disruptions begin at an early stage in life, which in turn influence brain growth and lead to the development of ASD.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that around 11.25 percent of children with ASD experience a food allergy. On the other hand, only 4.25 percent of children without ASD have a food allergy.

While the study could not determine the cause of the relationship between ASD and food allergies, previous research suggested a few possibilities that range from modifications in the gut biome to an increased production of antibodies.

The lead author recommends future studies on children since birth in order to establish a clear connection.

Greek Coffee Customs and Culture

A therapeutic counselor and medical administrator in the mental health sector, Maria Kechaidis directs clinical operations at OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions in Freehold Borough, New Jersey. She has been with OMNI since cofounding the organization in 2008. Outside of the professional environment, Maria Kechaidis enjoys many of the traditions of her Greek heritage, including the reading of coffee grounds to predict the future.

A strong and thick brew that has foam on top and unfiltered sediment on the bottom, Greek coffee plays a large part in Greek culture and serves as the centerpiece of many Greek traditions. The daily invitations for shared coffee breaks that are common among the Greek people may have something to do with the thick coffee itself as well as the thick white cups in which people serve it. Both the coffee and the cup promote slow sipping rather than big gulps.

Anyone hosting a house guest in Greece will traditionally offer coffee as a universally accepted gesture of hospitality. In return, guests will commonly toast to the “good health” of their hosts.

In addition, many people believe they can prognosticate the future by interpreting the sediment that settles in the bottom of their coffee cups.

The Health Benefits of a Greek-Inspired Diet

Co-founder and clinical director of New Jersey-based OMNI Behavioral Health Solutions, Maria Kechaidis provides specialized counseling services to children and families as well as Intensive In-Home clinical services to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Outside of her professional pursuits, Maria Kechaidis enjoys cooking for friends and family, using Greek-inspired recipes passed down from her grandmother and mother.

As far back as the early 1900s, researchers concluded that people living in countries near the Mediterranean Sea, like Greece and Italy, suffered from heart disease at a much lower rate than Americans. The reason for this was believed to be their diet, which was heavily comprised of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and extra virgin olive oil, while also characterized by a lack of red meat. In recent years, the Mediterranean diet has gained mainstream popularity as a means of losing weight and preventing health complications. Its benefits also have been proven by multiple studies.

In 2013, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine examined the effect of diet on 7,447 individuals with a high risk for cardiovascular disease. The study participants were grouped into three different diet plans and, after nearly five years, researchers found those in the Mediterranean diet groups experienced a 39 percent decrease in the likelihood of suffering a stroke. Other studies have shown a Mediterranean diet high in nuts and olive oil can reduce LDL cholesterol and other cardiovascular disease risk factors.