COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — What started as one family’s search for answers and support has grown into a community helping minority families across central Ohio navigate autism together.
Kenneth Williams and Simone Lightfoot-Williams founded Minority Autism Connection after their son, Trey, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The couple said the journey brought uncertainty, emotional challenges and, at times, isolation.
“We began our journey slightly after he was born,” Williams said. “We saw that he had some delays about a year and a half after he was born. Not necessarily speaking — some here and there — but the development wasn’t there.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 31 children in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder.
The family said they quickly realized there was a need for more culturally aware support and open conversations surrounding autism in minority communities.
“We really just want to provide around minorities because a lot of times when something is wrong with your child in minority cultures, communities, everyone is not as comfortable sharing because there’s a lot of judgment that comes with it, a lot of shame that comes with it,” Lightfoot-Williams said.
The couple created Minority Autism Connection to help families feel less alone while navigating diagnoses, therapies and resources. The organization now hosts sensory-friendly play dates, educational events and virtual discussions with professionals.
“We do sensory-friendly play dates, we’ve done online zoom calls with professionals, we just recently had one for autism awareness month for feeding therapy — that’s a big thing in the autism community,” Lightfoot-Williams said.
The organization also connects families with professionals and behavioral analysts who can help parents better understand therapies and resources available to their children.
“Sometimes you need a professional to come in and say hey, you may want to try this,” Williams said.
Today, the couple said their son Trey is thriving with the help of various therapies and the community they’ve built through the organization.
“There’s a need. There’s a need for community in Columbus,” Williams said. “There might be some other folks doing the same work in Columbus but we just decided to make ourselves visible and talk to folks about what we’re doing.”
Minority Autism Connection will also take part in Saturday’s Autism Walk. NBC4 is a proud sponsor of the event.
