Empire State University Student and Professor Co-Publish Article 

For Empire State University student Amile Cominotti, the opportunity to work with Assistant Professor Cailyn Green on a scholarly article seemed like more than a stroke of luck: Given the subject matter, they say, it felt like fate.  

“When I sat down with Dr. Green for the first time and she told me about her plan to write about neurodivergence in the context of substance use and mental health treatment, it was a little mind-blowing… I have lived experience of both contexts. I am a neurodivergent person in long-term recovery,” says Cominotti, a community and human services major from Buffalo. “Landing in a project focused on making substance use services more accessible for neurodivergent people felt like pure serendipity—like something that had been waiting for me all along.” 

Cominotti first connected with Green during the fall 2025 semester, when they secured a position as the educator’s work-study student. Together, the pair researched and wrote “Letter to the Editor: How to create a safe clinical space for neurodivergent clients seeking substance use treatment.” The paper was recently published in Journal of Substance Use. 

“It was honestly thrilling,” Cominotti says, recalling the moment they learned their work had been accepted for publication. “I felt so proud.” 

The article focuses on ways clinicians can make tangible changes to the places where substance abuse clients are treated. A key takeaway? While these modifications are designed to enhance the experience of individuals who are neurodivergent—”an umbrella term for people whose minds work differently than the systems around them were built to accommodate,” Cominotti explains—they actually improve the clinical environment for everyone.   

“Many of the changes that make a space more accessible for neurodivergent people, like reduced noise, clearer signage, or more comfortable seating, are things that put anyone more at ease,” they say. 

The paper—just one in a series of articles Green and Cominotti have co-authored—yielded other lessons too. Cominotti says working on the project helped them refine their writing and research skills. (They credit Green, who they call “a genuinely patient mentor.”) The experience has also bolstered their faith in what they can achieve academically.  

“It showed me I could accomplish something I had always dreamed of, but never truly believed possible,” Cominotti says. “And perhaps most importantly, it has given me the confidence to dream a little bigger than I was before.”