North San Antonio, TX– Early signs of Autism: a journey with stimming began for Natalie De Leon-Robles and her daughter Emmerson when she was just 18 months old. Emmerson began making repetitive movements and sounds, known as stimming, and mom had a hunch it could be autism. It became even more clear as the months went on when she wasn’t hitting milestones.
“My husband and I wanted to get her diagnosed, but it’s a natural feeling to be in denial at the same time. You almost don’t want to face the fact that this could be the outcome. And it’s scary because you don’t know what that entails for the child. I would tell a parent that it is the best thing that you can do for your child, and it’s the most helpful for us in understanding her behaviors and her interactions with people and how she processes the world around her. We’ve all learned from her and it’s the best thing that anyone can do,” she said.
But Natalie says she didn’t even know where to start to try and get a diagnosis until she watched a news story that stopped her in her tracks.
“I was scrolling through Instagram and saw an interview on a local news channel with a mother who was having the same issue I was and that interview was about the success she had through As You Are,” she said.
As You Are, she learned, is a virtual clinic for autism evaluations for kids. She’d be able to get answers in just a few weeks. An issue Natalie has faced for more than a year was resolved in minutes when she visited AsYouAre.com and submitted her information to schedule an autism evaluation for Emmerson.
“The rest is history,” she said. “As You Are turned out to be a Godsend.”
Not only was Emmerson able to be seen quickly, she was happy that the evaluation was conducted over telehealth. Emmerson was born during the pandemic, and Natalie says her daughter is most comfortable at home. On top of that, Natalie loved that As You Are is headquartered in San Antonio, where she lives.
“I was like how perfect this is, that this is spearheaded out of this area and what better program to help us than someone who is here. We just thought it was a sign,” she said.
Now, post autism diagnosis, she says 3-year-old Emmerson is thriving.
“She is the epitome of a ball of energy. Nonstop. When we suspected there were issues, she wasn’t hitting milestones, she was having trouble communicating. It was important to us that we could help her and having the diagnosis is so important. With the help of As You Are, I was able to identify her struggles and help her,” 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. Learn more at AsYouAre.com.
