For many parents, bringing their kids to a doctor’s office is no easy task. It can be difficult finding the time, scheduling an appointment that works with your schedule, packing up the car, getting the kids ready to go, and disrupting their daily routine. For neurotypical kids, this can be challenging, let alone for those with neurodevelopmental differences.
Kayla Wagner heard about this struggle from parents as a clinician, evaluating kids for autism. Then during the pandemic, the Texan noticed families were starting to face extremely long wait times while seeking an autism evaluation. In August 2022, she launched a virtual clinic called As You Are in order to ease the burden on parents across the board.
Wagner, who is Chief Executive Officer, said, “We chose the name As You Are because we want families to know that everyone is welcome, exactly as they are. Life is busy enough for families and we don’t want them to be worried about racing to appointments miles away and even worse, waiting months on a waitlist to get an autism evaluation. Our trained physicians can see them in the comfort of their own home, exclusively through telehealth appointments.”
Virtual care is a great option for families, and here are 5 reasons why:
Natural environment
One of the advantages of virtual appointments is that the physician observes your children in their natural environment: at home. This is where the child is comfortable and most likely to be themself without new people around to cause distractions or new and unfamiliar sounds, smells, or sights to process.
One less hassle
Taking your kids to a doctor’s appointment can be stressful. This can interrupt the child’s daily routine, which can be overwhelming for many children who thrive on structured routines. Office visits include checking in, filling out forms, sitting in the waiting room, and other activities that can be challenging for the child.
Different opinions
Parents sometimes find it difficult to get the answers they need due to a lack of specialists in their area. Through a telehealth appointment, you’re able to gain perspective from a physician whose focus is on diagnosing autism without even leaving the comfort of your home.
Accessibility
There are many families out there who have less access to resources due to socioeconomic status. How does someone who doesn’t have access to transportation make it to a doctor’s appointment? How does someone who works multiple low-paying jobs take time off work to take their child to an appointment? Virtual appointments can help bridge this gap.
Availability
A lot of parents and their kids have limited flexibility when it comes to their schedules. With virtual appointments, busy families are able to schedule appointments when it’s most convenient for them without a major disruption in their day.
Are you wondering if your child might have autism? As You Are provides autism evaluations for kids 16 months to 10 years via telehealth appointments. As You Are is now available in seven states: Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Alabama. As You Are is expected to expand nationwide by the end of 2023. Learn more and get started today at AsYouAre.com/ParentingPA.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This is a sponsored blog post, but all opinions are my own.
Christine Denise, Autism Mom and Contributing Writer for As You Are, a virtual clinic dramatically increasing access to early autism diagnostic services through the use of exclusively telehealth appointments.
