GLOVER, VERMONT – A Vermont mom found an autism evaluation solution for her child. Parents often don’t know where to begin when they suspect their child may not be hitting their milestones. And many times, they hit roadblocks trying to find answers. All over the United States, families are stuck on extremely long waitlists for autism evaluations for their kids. In places like Glover, Vermont, parents are not able to even join a waitlist due to a lack of resources. Even in places that have resources, there are often a limited number of providers, which is why there are wait times for an appointment. Kathryn Cumba did her research when it came to tracking down an autism evaluation for her 7-year-old son, Dylan. She almost lost hope when the one developmental pediatrician that she could find wasn’t available.
“She stopped taking new patients and left the state,” Kathryn said. She even began to search outside of her region and look statewide. “There is one team at a college in the state that can do evaluations, but the referral list is way too long.”
In the midst of her research, she came across As You Are, a virtual clinic that provides autism evaluations to kids through telehealth appointments.
“It was the craziest thing. The ad came up on my Facebook because I’d been searching, trying to find an appointment,” she said. “I clicked on the ad, scheduled an appointment, and now he has an official autism diagnosis.”
Before moving to Vermont, Kathryn and her family lived in Arizona. When Dylan was 5 years old, Kathryn remembered looking for something just like As You Are because at the time, she would’ve had to drive 3.5 hours to San Diego just to get an appointment and have Dylan evaluated. And those waitlists were long on top of the commute. She was amazed by how smooth the process with As You Are was and was happy to have a virtual option so Dylan would be comfortable in his natural environment.
Kathryn said, “The online format makes it easier. He was in his own playroom. He was more relaxed and better able to be himself. Going to a doctor’s office changes your kid – they act differently.”
As You Are also accepted their insurance based on Dylan’s individual plan. What could have been waiting years and driving for hours at a time turned out to be way easier than Kathryn ever imagined.
“It was great and really simplified everything so much,” she said.
Do you have questions about your child’s development? The team at As You Are provides diagnostic evaluations for kids 16 months to 10 years old via telehealth appointments along with useful resources, including an online autism screening. Learn more at asyouare.com.
