Mocha Moms and UW Waisman Center team up to combat autism
Fighting autism
Fighting autism
By Jonathan Gramling
When she became pregnant in 2006, Cassaundra Edwards, a senior research
engineer in product development at Kraft Foods, took a leave of absence for two
years so that she could devote her attention to her son. And to fight the isolation of
being a stay-at-home mom, Edwards founded the Madison chapter of Mocha Moms,
which provides support to moms of color in several ways.
“Mocha Moms provides us with a way to nurture one another in terms of
exchanging information about parenting, family wellness, supporting our
relationships in our own families, especially with partners, cultural enrichment with
children, play dates with children,” said Dr. Angela Byars-Winston, the current
president of Mocha Moms. “We have quarterly events that allow us to do some more
intensive community building in terms of issues such as health and wellness. We did
one session on depression. We’ve done others on exercise. It provides a wide range
of support with a capital S from professional and personal development to supporting
families with activities and outings.”
When she became pregnant in 2006, Cassaundra Edwards, a senior research
engineer in product development at Kraft Foods, took a leave of absence for two
years so that she could devote her attention to her son. And to fight the isolation of
being a stay-at-home mom, Edwards founded the Madison chapter of Mocha Moms,
which provides support to moms of color in several ways.
“Mocha Moms provides us with a way to nurture one another in terms of
exchanging information about parenting, family wellness, supporting our
relationships in our own families, especially with partners, cultural enrichment with
children, play dates with children,” said Dr. Angela Byars-Winston, the current
president of Mocha Moms. “We have quarterly events that allow us to do some more
intensive community building in terms of issues such as health and wellness. We did
one session on depression. We’ve done others on exercise. It provides a wide range
of support with a capital S from professional and personal development to supporting
families with activities and outings.”
As Edwards was caring for her son, she noticed that there was something wrong. “We saw he wasn’t really talking and wasn’t fully
meeting the milestones that the professionals said he should be making,” Edwards said. “We saw his pediatrician first. He recommended that
we see a speech pathologist. She then recommended that we go to the Birth to Three services because she definitely thought he had a speech
delay. From that point, they noticed that there was something beyond a speech delay and recommended coming to the Waisman Center because
they are professionals who research developmental disorders. They suggested he be tested for autism.”
Through a series of tests and programs, Edwards’ son was diagnosed with a mild form of autism. “Autism, I think, is sort of new for a lot of
people even though it’s been coming out in the media with Jenny McCarthy, Toni Braxton and Holly Robinson-Peete,” Edwards said. “It was
really those famous people who really brought it to my attention that this is something that isn’t just affecting mainstream America; it’s affecting
African Americans as well. When I was personally hit with my son being autistic, that’s when I really became more vigilant about understanding
what the disorder was about and really bringing it to the community.”
Although she went back to work at Kraft Foods, she did so on a part-time basis and has worked with the Waisman Center — one of the
preeminent research facilities in the nation on developmental disabilities — in learning how to help her son develop to his fullest potential and
become his strongest advocate.
According to Dr. Leonard Abbeduto, associate director of the Waisman Center, about one in 150 children are autistic. “It has three core
features,” Abbeduto explained. “One is problems in reciprocal social interactions and interacting with other people. The second is
communication. And the third is repetitive behaviors and restricted interests, a narrow focus of things that engage the child’s interest. A child
might focus on trains and really obsess with trains in terms of repetitive behaviors. They may have something like hand flapping or other
unusual hand movements. It’s really that trio of areas of concern that get kids labeled as having autism. But I do think one of the things that you
mentioned is there is a wide range of abilities among kids that have the diagnosis of autism. Some children in addition to having autism will
meet criteria for having an intellectual disability as well, an IQ of 70 or lower. Other kids will have their IQs in the average range of functioning,
but will have these other problems. So it is really kind of a complicated disorder that doesn’t look the same in every child who ends up with the
same diagnostic label.”
One of the most important things, according to Abbeduto, in terms of fighting the effects of autism is early diagnosis. “Early intervention
really improves outcomes for all kids,” Abbeduto said. “Children seem to outgrow some of their problems, on average, as they get older. Many,
if not most, maintain the diagnostic label. They still have social problems. They still have communication problems. Many still have problems
with repetitive behaviors and restrictive interests. But there is an improvement or an abatement of symptoms over time. The one thing we do
know is that the more of early intervention, the better for all kids.”
Edwards, as social chair for Mocha Moms, is determined to help spread the word about autism. And so Mocha Moms has teamed up with
the Waisman Center to present Autism Spectrum Disorder on October 3, 2009 from 10:30am - 12pm at the Waisman Center, 1500 Highland
Avenue adjacent to UW Hospitals & Clinics. The event is free and open to public.
meeting the milestones that the professionals said he should be making,” Edwards said. “We saw his pediatrician first. He recommended that
we see a speech pathologist. She then recommended that we go to the Birth to Three services because she definitely thought he had a speech
delay. From that point, they noticed that there was something beyond a speech delay and recommended coming to the Waisman Center because
they are professionals who research developmental disorders. They suggested he be tested for autism.”
Through a series of tests and programs, Edwards’ son was diagnosed with a mild form of autism. “Autism, I think, is sort of new for a lot of
people even though it’s been coming out in the media with Jenny McCarthy, Toni Braxton and Holly Robinson-Peete,” Edwards said. “It was
really those famous people who really brought it to my attention that this is something that isn’t just affecting mainstream America; it’s affecting
African Americans as well. When I was personally hit with my son being autistic, that’s when I really became more vigilant about understanding
what the disorder was about and really bringing it to the community.”
Although she went back to work at Kraft Foods, she did so on a part-time basis and has worked with the Waisman Center — one of the
preeminent research facilities in the nation on developmental disabilities — in learning how to help her son develop to his fullest potential and
become his strongest advocate.
According to Dr. Leonard Abbeduto, associate director of the Waisman Center, about one in 150 children are autistic. “It has three core
features,” Abbeduto explained. “One is problems in reciprocal social interactions and interacting with other people. The second is
communication. And the third is repetitive behaviors and restricted interests, a narrow focus of things that engage the child’s interest. A child
might focus on trains and really obsess with trains in terms of repetitive behaviors. They may have something like hand flapping or other
unusual hand movements. It’s really that trio of areas of concern that get kids labeled as having autism. But I do think one of the things that you
mentioned is there is a wide range of abilities among kids that have the diagnosis of autism. Some children in addition to having autism will
meet criteria for having an intellectual disability as well, an IQ of 70 or lower. Other kids will have their IQs in the average range of functioning,
but will have these other problems. So it is really kind of a complicated disorder that doesn’t look the same in every child who ends up with the
same diagnostic label.”
One of the most important things, according to Abbeduto, in terms of fighting the effects of autism is early diagnosis. “Early intervention
really improves outcomes for all kids,” Abbeduto said. “Children seem to outgrow some of their problems, on average, as they get older. Many,
if not most, maintain the diagnostic label. They still have social problems. They still have communication problems. Many still have problems
with repetitive behaviors and restrictive interests. But there is an improvement or an abatement of symptoms over time. The one thing we do
know is that the more of early intervention, the better for all kids.”
Edwards, as social chair for Mocha Moms, is determined to help spread the word about autism. And so Mocha Moms has teamed up with
the Waisman Center to present Autism Spectrum Disorder on October 3, 2009 from 10:30am - 12pm at the Waisman Center, 1500 Highland
Avenue adjacent to UW Hospitals & Clinics. The event is free and open to public.
Cassaundra Edwards (l-r), Dr. Leonard Abbeduto and Dr.
Angela Byars-Winston
Angela Byars-Winston
