Fitchburg mother, Black Autism Coalition founder joins Commonwealth Heroines

Cynthia Laine never forgot the feeling of being alone and lost, with no one to direct her to where she could find supports and services when she learned her eldest sons had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

“It was hard for me,” said the Fitchburg mother of four boys. She came to rely on other mothers whose children had been similarly diagnosed to find and access the program she needed to support her sons.

“Other mothers were able to help me navigate the (autism) community,” Laine said.

As she learned about the organizations established to support those on the spectrum, she realized that other families in the community were starting on her same journey. And that they, like her, needed the help of other families with similar experiences.

That’s when she realized she had to do something.

That something became the Black Autism Coalition , a statewide resource for Black and brown residents as they learn about the diagnosis and seek supports for their children and families. The organization, newly connected to the Flutie Foundation, its fiscal partner, works closely with all families of color but has a special focus on families that, like hers, migrated to Massachusetts from Haiti.

Laine is one of 14 women in Worcester County who have been recognized for their contributions to their communities by state legislators. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women feted them as the Class of 2024 Commonwealth Heroines. The organization held a ceremony in their honor at the State House in Boston last month.

Many families are unfamiliar with the autism spectrum diagnosis, and unaware of the private and public supports available in Massachusetts.

“We meet families where they are in the process,” Laine said, adding many families are referred to the organization. She has met with families on the telephone and on Zoom calls and even at their homes to help them “read through the papers” as a way to help them understand what the diagnosis means. Fluctuation in levels of supports needed for those diagnosed as neural-divergent or on the spectrum can be challenging for families to understand.

In her own family, Laine’s older son, Ryan, 14, starts high school in the fall. While he has been diagnosed a neuro-divergent, he needs fewer supports than his younger brother, Luke, 12, who is nonverbal. Both are on the spectrum but have different needs for structure and services.

The coalition gathers materials, conducts research on available resources, offers translation services and helps families understand the autism diagnosis through workshops, information and education sessions as well as connect them with available supports.

Even as Laine helps direct families to support services, she is still learning. Needs change as the children mature and grow. Her boys are now teenagers, which she said is quite different from when they were younger.

“Every step is new in the journey,” Laine said, admitting that having two youngsters on the spectrum can feel quite heavy at times. But to help other parents and mothers manage, Laine holds her tears just to give them hope.

The organization has served more than 100 families in the state. In recent months, the group has expanded its work to help settle new Haitian families migrating to Massachusetts. Laine is proud to have worked with those housed in Fitchburg shelters and hotels, pointing out that many are leaving the state-run programs and finding work and places to live.

Her coalition welcomes all families and has “an army” of volunteers who lend their support and expertise to the group.

“We can’t do it alone,” Laine said. The group is currently virtual with a website and pages on Facebook and Instagram and is looking to acquire office space. The Flutie Foundation is helping the organization with basic funding.

Laine was born in Haiti, moving to Massachusetts as a teenager. Her move from Everett to Fitchburg, where she now lives with her husband and boys, including younger sons Kendrick, 11, and Jeremiah, 2,  was unsettling and scary. She made it her first task to reach out to her state representative, Michael Kushmerek, D-Fitchburg, to introduce herself and her work.

“I emailed him on Valentine’s Day, introduced myself and my family and suggested he call me about any bills that dealt with disabilities,” Laine said. The move floored the politician, who told her it was the first time anyone had reached out to him in a similar fashion. “He told me his door was always open and to call him anytime.”

She called Kushmerek “a humble man” whom she sometimes bumps into in the supermarket. She never realized he was paying such close attention to her work that he felt comfortable nominating her as a Commonwealth Heroine.

“I’m really wowed by it, it’s such a prestigious award,” Laine said. In addition to caring for her family, Laine works as a financial coach, educating families on how to build their legacy. She also serves as an Haitian Creole interpreter and translator for IEP meetings in many Massachusetts school districts. She is a council member of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, Charting Life Course Ambassador and a member of the Inaugural Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Association of Haitian Parents.

In nominating Laine, Kushmerek noted that she and her husband “did not receive an instruction manual on how to care and advocate for their boys.

“The many challenging moments of isolation and confusion is what has brought her to this work of advocacy and support through the Black Autism Coalition,” Kushmerek said.

In creating the coalition, Laine has taken steps to create that “instruction manual” for the families the organization supports.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Fitchburg mother, Black Autism Coalition founder joins Commonwealth Heroines