Twenty years ago, WellSpan child psychiatrist Dr. Mike Fueyo had a dream: to create a one-stop center where families of children who have autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities could receive services.

At that time, Deborah Parker and her late husband, William, had three small children with a developmental disability called fragile X syndrome, who needed those services.

The Parkers supported Dr. Fueyo – with finance expert and lobbyist William helping to secure state funding that helped launch the center – and Dr. Fueyo supported the Parker children – managing their medications, offering behavioral strategies for them to navigate everyday life and providing education and support for the entire Parker family.

This month, the WellSpan Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) celebrates its 20^th anniversary. The three Parker children have grown from “kiddos” (a fond term often used for younger children at CADD) into young adults during CADD’s tenure. Jacob, 28, Sophia, 26, and Liam, 21, still receive medical management services there.

From left, Jacob, Liam, Deborah and Sophia Parker. 

“For every season of our life and every challenge we have had over the years – the peaks and valleys – CADD has been there and has been able to meet our needs,” says Deborah Parker, a Lebanon County resident.

Her two eldest children with fragile X both have jobs and attend an adult day program and the youngest just graduated from high school and is lining up those next steps.

“CADD helped us build a life for them that has purpose,” Deborah says. “We are active in the community. We are focused on their independence.”

The early days

In 1999, Dr. Fueyo came to WellSpan from Brown University, where he had worked with children with developmental disabilities. He saw a growing need for similar services here. Twenty years ago, children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, fragile X, Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities often received mental health support, but their treatment was more scattered.

Dr. Fueyo wanted to set up a center where families could receive services that addressed the social, emotional and behavioral needs of these children in one focused spot.

CADD opened its first office in a converted white farmhouse, with four employees: Dr. Fueyo, a psychologist, a therapist and an administrative team member. In its first year, it saw about 200 patients.

Within a year, it had a waiting list of families who needed its services. In 2007, it moved to its current location in a larger building in East Petersburg, where it now has 38 team members in psychiatry, nursing, social work, applied behavior analysis and administrative roles. The need for its services continues to grow with as the numbers of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder does.

Growing into the future

In the past several years, CADD has worked to become more efficient, so it can meet the great need for its services, and also worked to expand its team-based services to support patients through their whole lifespan as well as their families, who come from 10 counties across Pennsylvania.

The CADD team. 

Its recent accomplishments include:

• Decreasing its wait list from 18 months to four months, while increasing the number of evaluations by 200%
• Increasing the number of patients served by 69% over four years, to almost 3,000 patients in 2024
• Implementing a positive parenting program called Stepping Stones Triple P, which trains caregivers to help their children with their daily behavior and offers services such as group therapy, behavior therapy, school advocacy, sleep therapy and other specific assistance
• Training more than 1,500 WellSpan providers, including primary care physicians, imaging workers, lab workers and more, on the best ways to treat patients with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities wherever they receive services across WellSpan
• Offering unique and stimulating programs for patients including a running club, a gardening club and a Lego club

The focus remains

Sarah Mattern, the CADD director, has been with the organization for 16 years and helped it grow.

“I think the thing that makes me most proud is hearing the family’s stories of progress and success,” she says. “I also am proud of our team members who have worked so hard to become experts in this field and watching them supporting our families and helping them to thrive.”

CADD’s mission hearkens back to the words of the late William Parker, the parent and early supporter who summed up the organization this way: “I believe that the quality of life for a family with a disabled member revolves around their access to superior health care. Our mission is to provide that quality health care in a spirit of love and understanding.”

To learn more about CADD and its services, go here.