Founder/Board Member
Barry@LSAutism.org
I moved to the Eastern Shore in 1976 as the inaugural director of Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services. My wife Mary and I began our family life on the lower shore, welcoming two children. I also started teaching part-time at Salisbury University and established a small private practice.
After nearly 20 years at Worcester Youth, my practice had grown significantly and I decided to focus full-time as a private practitioner. After a few years of private practice, I missed the opportunities to collaborate with the public to improve community services. Consequently, I joined the Wicomico Board of Education as a school social worker, where I remained until retiring in 2010.
After retiring, I continued to volunteer for nonprofits, joining environmental and health related organizations as a board officer and then as the part-time director of the Wicomico Environmental Trust.
My youngest grandson was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. We soon realized that services on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland were few and far between. With the rate of Autism increasing at record pace, families seeking services have to travel up to seven hours round trip for basic services. The limited services offered locally were difficult to navigate and our families were left to fend for themselves. In response, I formed a group to plan and begin a nonprofit for families to support, help navigate the system, and advocate for those families with Autistic members. LSAC was incorporated in 2022.
