Autism Awareness in Action

Every autistic individual’s journey is unique, and the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB) is committed to partnering with individuals and families to support growth, understanding, and well-being across the lifespan. Located on the campus of NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health, this invaluable gem for patients and families of people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was established in 2013 with foundational support from NEXT for AUTISM, the Simons Foundation, Autism Speaks—founded by NewYork-Presbyterian Life Trustee Bob Wright and his wife, Suzanne—and the generosity of others.

“We provide gold-standard diagnostic evaluations. We give families and patients access to world-renowned experts in the field of autism,” says Tara Maloney, LMHC-D, Program Director of CADB. “That’s part of our mission: to provide exceptional treatment and care at a high level but to make it accessible to everyone.”

CADB has been future-minded since its inception, providing multidisciplinary care that puts patients first. “Everything from the colors of our walls to the material that we use for flooring avoids harsh sensory stimuli—we’re very mindful,” says Ms. Maloney. “Our reception area looks like somebody’s living room—there’s a large fireplace, comfortable couches, textured wallpaper. We consulted a group of young adults with autism regarding our decorations and gained valuable insights into preferences we had not previously considered."
 

Embedded in NewYork-Presbyterian's system of care, CADB provides families with comprehensive treatment plans aimed at cultivating self-reliance. As outlined by Dr. Jeremy M. Veenstra-VanderWeele, Director of the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Columbia University, CADB “offers the opportunity to really see people with a diagnosis of autism and their families. The Center evaluates what somebody needs at this point in time and gets them going along that path.” 

CADB collaborates with a local organization to deliver job training for young adults with autism, followed by employment opportunities at the NYP Westchester Behavioral Health campus. “Beyond the walls of CADB, they’ll work in building services, in the kitchen, in health and informational management,” says Ms. Maloney. "Our whole campus has really embraced serving the autism community.”
 

In caring for those living with ASD and other developmental challenges, our teams deepen their knowledge of the disorders and the needs of the patients themselves. This in turn informs treatment, inspiring advances that lead to better care. “We are a laboratory of innovation,” says Dr. Philip J. Wilner, MBA, Executive Vice Chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NYP Westchester Behavioral Health. “In this field of discovery, there’s still so much to know.” Empowered by care teams from Columbia and Weill Cornell, CADB partners with patients and their families at every stage of life.

“We have specialists across all ages who can help work with families,” says Dr. Jamie Winter, Clinical Director of CADB. Though she works with patients across the lifespan, Dr. Winter's specialty areas are "working with toddlers and preschoolers with a new diagnosis to understand that diagnosis" and helping form a partnership with parents. Innovative autism care is offered in one centralized location from an integrated team of specialists who collaborate daily. Dr. S. Daniella Kevelson, Chief of Medical Services at CADB, explains, “Everyone who works here cares so much. We want to help people meet their goals and to live their best lives.”