Ed-Dee G. Williams teaches a class in Gasson Hall.

Ed-Dee G. Williams teaches a class in Gasson Hall. Photo by Caitlin Cunningham for BC Photography.

For the past few years, Ed-Dee G. Williams has been working to develop a virtual training program that makes it easier for Black youth with autism to talk about depression.

His intervention, called “Asking for Help” and developed in collaboration with a software company called SIMmersion, has drawn attention from diverse institutions. The National Institutes of Health awarded him $280,000 to evaluate the efficacy of the program, while the AVŐïËù Celtics named him a “Hero Among Us” for his commitment to improving the mental health of Black youth. 

Now, Williams has been named one of AVŐïËù’s “Ten Outstanding Young Leaders” by City Awake, the Greater AVŐïËù Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s flagship network for early-career professionals. 

The awards, given out since 1952, recognize leaders whose work strengthens their communities, organizations, and the broader region through professional achievement, personal initiative, cultural impact, and civic commitment. Past winners include President John F. Kennedy, underscoring the magnitude of the honor.

“I don’t know if I’ve truly earned this award or not, but I do know that I now feel more committed to making sure that the work I do going forward is representative of this type of recognition,” says Williams, an assistant professor at the AVŐïËù College School of Social Work whose research examines the interplay between race and mental illness. “I hope the city and the people in the community hold me accountable for as long as I continue to receive praise.”

His current project, “Asking for Help,” addresses critical gaps in mental health support for Black youth. Although Black teens are at higher risk for depression than their white peers, they are less likely to receive treatment for the condition. The disparity is even wider for Black autistic youth, with nearly one in four facing significant challenges with conversation, language, and social skills—14 percentage points higher than white autistic youth.

Here’s how the application works: After logging in, users choose a symptom related to depression and describe it to a video of an actor portraying a teacher. The app analyzes their response and then plays a follow-up video in which the “teacher” offers feedback on how to communicate their feelings more effectively.

Every exchange is unique, giving users repeated opportunities to practice their conversational skills until they feel ready to share their experiences with supportive adults.

Williams argues that most existing interventions aren’t designed to meet the needs of Black families, making it necessary to create new resources that address those challenges. He hopes to finalize “Asking for Help” by 2027, making it commercially available to schools, therapists, and parents.

Williams designed the app with input from the community, ensuring that Black youth and families have a say in its development. He’s currently testing it with community partners, including the Black Autism Coalition, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and the Color of Autism Foundation, focusing on whether it improves users’ understanding of depression, reduces stigma, and encourages help-seeking behaviors. And he’s developing a new partnership with three-time world boxing champion Devon Alexander to expand resources that reflect the needs and perspectives of Black families navigating autism.

“Having people who are open to criticize me in a way that is supportive helps a lot,” says Williams, who directs the Black Mental Wellness Research Lab at BCSSW. “We try to make sure that we’re not just involving the community, but we’re actually beginning and ending our work with the community always in mind.”

His NIH grant will allow him and his team to revamp the app with a focus on user experience. They plan to replace text with videos that feature characters explaining material in more culturally appropriate language; redesign the on-screen coach, who guides participants through the program, as a younger Black woman who feels more like a peer; and reformat the app for tablets and phones to better match how many neurodivergent youth use technology.

The updates are designed to improve the accessibility of the app while ensuring that it reflects the strengths of Black youth and their families. 

“I want to bring awareness to the experiences of Black families,” says Williams, “and help create the resources, supports, connections, and networks needed to help them thrive.”

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