Mitigate Autism Diagnosis
Evan Axelbank reports.
Tampa, Florida – A company that offers virtual autism screenings and claims to diagnose children in weeks rather than months or years is treating children in Florida, making it easier for them to get the interventions they need.
Two-year-old Sienna is always energetic and full of energy. So when her doctor told her she was autistic, the word “autism” in her hit Jamel Lanny Mikini like a sledgehammer.
“[The doctor]said I might have autism,” Mikini explained. “Imagine going to the pediatrician’s office for a checkup. What do you think?”
Mikini and her husband repeated Sienna at home and helped identify daily tasks, while the Tampa couple enrolled her in therapy, but out of pocket $2,200 a month.
“It’s astronomical,” Michini said.
Developmentally disabled child awaiting autism screening.
Insurance does not apply without a formal diagnosis and prescription from a specialist. But it took me 3 months to meet someone.
“During that time, your child will have lost a lot and will not be able to get the specialists and treatment they need.
read: CDC data: Autism rates vary by location, but more children are diagnosed early in the US
Clinician Kayla Wagner has spent her career making these diagnoses.
“The complexity of autism is also what makes it truly beautiful.
A doctor conducts a virtual autism screening.
When appointments often moved online during the pandemic, she found she could see more patients faster.
Her company, As You Are, now sees children in nine states, including Florida. They try to schedule screenings within two weeks of her.
“Unlike the traditional face-to-face setting where the doctor does it to the child himself, the parent actually becomes the doctor in this kind of way,” Wagner said. and doctors are observing their behavior.”
read: St. Pete’s nonprofit creates tailored learning experiences for children with autism
Judith Miller, director of the Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says waiting times have been a problem for years and are getting worse now.
Children and their parents participating in a virtual autism screening.
Certain children, especially those thrown off screens, may need an in-person appointment, but most can benefit from virtual technology, which consists of three appointments. she says.
“Previously, we had a very limited understanding of how to help people with autism reach their full potential,” explains Miller. “Now there are many different options for teaching skill development.”
She says wait times are hard to come by, but some reports in Florida say diagnosis can take as long as two years.
A company called As You Are currently tests children for autism in nine states, including Florida.
So just waiting a few weeks could make all the difference in the years to come.
“When you’re waiting, I don’t want to say that time lag is a ticking time bomb, but I just want to get help and take the kids,” Mikini said.
Link: For more information on “As You Are”, please visit https://asyouare.com/.
