FLORENCE, ALABAMA – Cassandra Thompson’s daughter Karly was recently diagnosed with autism at 10 years old. It’s been an uphill battle up until this point. The mom has been in and out of doctors’ offices trying to get answers for years. Hearing the diagnosis brought a mix of emotions.
“It felt overwhelming and amazing,” she said. “I finally knew my gut was right. It was amazing to know she is going to get occupational therapy after school.”
In rural Alabama, Cassandra says the wait time for an autism evaluation is 2.5 years. Not being able to delay care any longer, she was able to find help from As You Are, a new virtual clinic that dramatically increases access to early autism diagnostic services through the use of exclusively telehealth appointments. She learned about As You Are on her Facebook feed and called one of the support team members.
“Just to make sure it was legit,” she said, about calling the As You Are support team. “They explained everything that was going to happen.”
Once she filled out online paperwork and the team conducted a benefits investigation, Cassandra was able to get an appointment immediately with Dr. Gina Labovitz, one of the As You Are physicians. Cassandra says she had never experienced this quality of care before.
She said, “Dr. Labovitz has been amazing with Karly. She brought out a side no one has ever seen.”
With the diagnosis, she now has the answers she was looking for, and Karly has the therapy she says she’s been needing.
“The group As You Are is a wonderful group. Also, a big shoutout to Dr. Labovitz – she was awesome with Karly.”
Do you have questions about your child’s development? The team at As You Are provides useful autism screening and diagnostic evaluations for kids 16 months to 10 years old via telehealth appointments. Learn more at asyouare.com.
