This Latina Mom Invented A Whole New Way For Her Autistic Child To Make Tamales. It Inspired A Full-Blown Business

This Latina Mom Invented A Whole New Way For Her Autistic Child To Make Tamales. It Inspired A Full-Blown Business

This Latina Mom Invented A Whole New Way For Her Autistic Child To Make Tamales. It Inspired A Full-Blown Business Catherine Contreras’s most precious childhood memories include making tamales with her family.  As a self-proclaimed “autism mom” navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, she tried to bring those special moments to life with her own five children. Tamales made of Play-Dough. Photo courtesy of Fresh Masa “When we were in lockdown, we were having virtual tamaladas with my family. My kids were very little, and they really wanted to do it,” Contreras told San Antonio Magazine.  “I thought we could take some Play-Dough and get a husk and let them play that way.” It was a revelation.  Alongside her mother, Marie Bauml, a retired school teacher, the duo founded Fresh Masa, a business that sells sensory-friendly toy kits that give kids a hands-on experience with their culture. Marie Bauml and Catherine Contreras. Photo courtesy of Fresh Masa “It just made sense to combine my mother’s expertise a…