About 1 in 44 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States according to the CDC. Autism prevalence has increased 178% since 2000.
When you are expecting a baby there is nothing that gives you more anxiety than each of your doctor’s appointments – longing to hear a strong healthy heartbeat. I remember just wanting to make it to the delivery date, because I knew that once my first born was finally in the world, I could finally keep him safe. Nothing could have prepared me for the trials and tribulations that motherhood would throw at me once my son was out of the womb.
Before I get into a dose of “our story” are you wondering if your child might have autism? As You Are is a virtual clinic providing autism diagnostic evaluations for kids 16 months to 10 years via telehealth appointments. Appointments with a trained physician are readily available in Texas through video calls.
As You Are is breaking geographic barriers for families sitting on long waitlists, helping diagnose more children early in development. As You Are accepts insurance, including Medicaid and TRICARE East. As You Are is a team of physicians who specialize in guiding families along their neurodevelopmental journey. They equip parents with the knowledge they need to help their children flourish.
I could go down a rabbit hole of stories regarding my introduction to motherhood, but ultimately, my son’s failure to meet milestones beginning as early as 4 months is what sent our family on a journey. First he missed rolling over, then crawling, next walking, then CHEWING… my kid legit didn’t chew food until well after his 4th birthday. I remember when our main pediatrician recommended making an appointment with a developmental pediatrician and warning us that it would likely be a 6 month wait…. and it was every bit of 6 months before we could have him evaluated. 6 months of just waiting to tell you what’s wrong. 6 months that we could have been doing something, anything, to help move him forward.
Finally after 6 months we went to our appointment where they tested my son for 2-3 hours on various developmental milestones. We pretty much had answers right then for our 2 1/2 year old that their “working diagnosis” was autism.
For your reference, a range of physical and mental-health conditions frequently accompany autism. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Epilepsy
- Feeding issues
- Disrupted sleep
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Down syndrome (DS)
Y’all…that’s a lot of “stuff” and categories that even I feel like I could fall under. We immediately started 4 hours of therapy per week for speech and occupational therapy to attempt to bridge the gaps. I don’t love living in a world of “what-ifs” especially when I have a now 12 year old thriving son, BUT for the sake of this exercise, what if we had an opportunity to get him diagnosed even sooner than 2 1/2? Knowledge is power and there is just so much more attention and awareness surrounding autism compared to even 10 years ago. I didn’t have a resource like As You Are to turn to. I had to wait. But, you don’t.
You may be wondering if a virtual autism evaluation is the right decision for your family?
Your child’s brain is primed for learning early in life, making an early diagnosis crucial. Yet, the amount of time it takes to get a diagnosis can be long and the pandemic has only made the wait even greater. It can take months to years to get a diagnosis, but As You Are’s physicians can get your family answers within weeks.
For my family, after 2 1/2 years of therapy 4 hours per day twice per week, every week, without fail, my son’s new “working diagnosis” at age 5 became ADHD.
Motherhood is my favorite and I know my kiddo’s journey {which is far bigger than what this brief glimpse could give you} is building character, teaching tenacity, and preparing him for something pretty freaking great. And I know that whatever you and your family are facing right now is going to be the same for your child.
>>> SCHEDULING YOUR CHILD’S VIRTUAL SESSION STARTS HERE <<<
