SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS- Being in a military family oftentimes means moving across the country and finding a new home, school, and healthcare providers. When Erica Guice moved with her family from Anchorage, Alaska to San Antonio, Texas, she needed to find a new clinic for her 7-year-old daughter Ashlynn to get services, which required an autism evaluation. They were put on seven waitlists, all of them at least eight months long, including the military base, which was a year-long wait. She was frustrated until she found out about As You Are, a virtual clinic that increases access to early autism diagnostic services through telehealth appointments.
“I checked to make sure they would accept our insurance, and they did. So, I signed up, and within a day, someone from the team reached out to set up an appointment,” Erica said. “They were able to get us an appointment within two weeks, and I almost cried.”
Not only was she thrilled that the cost of the diagnostic evaluation would be covered based on her child’s health insurance plan, Erica appreciated that the evaluation process was so efficient with three appointments in less than 30 days. She had run into roadblocks in the past finding available resources, but As You Are made the experience seamless.
She said, “When I met with the doctor, it was like a breath of fresh air. I didn’t have to explain anything or go into too much detail – it was like she automatically knew what we needed and got the ball rolling.”
And the care didn’t stop with the diagnosis. Erica and Ashlynn were assigned to a Care Sidekick who continued to help every step of the way by connecting them with resources in their area.
“The Care Sidekick has been amazing. Anything I’ve asked her for, she had it to me by the end of the day,” she said.
Thanks to the telehealth component, she was happy to have had the evaluation done in the comfort of their own home.
“The pandemic has definitely shown us that you don’t need to be in person to do everything,” Erica said. “I appreciated that I didn’t have to take my daughter out of her environment for the evaluation.”
After an overall great experience and receiving a diagnosis, Erica is grateful to have found this virtual clinic so Ashlynn can resume having access to the services she needs.
Erica said, “I wish more people knew about As You Are.”
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.
