Phoenix company provides early, easy, fast, bilingual screenings for kids
For two decades, Christine Ehrich ran a successful physical therapy network that connected people who got hurt on the job with rehabilitation services.
But it wasn’t until her son fell and broke both wrists when Ehrich was forced into an unfamiliar healthcare labyrinth and a daunting journey to get him well. As her son endured multiple surgeries and a bone infection, she wasn’t sure which way to go.
She confided in a psychologist friend, who shared a similar difficulty in the autism space. Ehrich’s research and speaking with professionals led to her identifying several pain points in the process. Her previous work equipped her to have ideas on how to fix these issues.
“I wanted to help a large group of people in the healthcare space and after fighting that healthcare maze (for my son), it really resonated for me,” Ehrich said.
Her mission resulted in Axis for Autism, the organization that has developed a unique and efficient model that expedites the evaluation, diagnosis and therapy process for children and adults that she started in 2021.
In a time when thousands of Arizonans wait for a year or more for just an evaluation in a traditional healthcare system, Axis enables them to complete the process in a matter of weeks and allows them access to therapies sooner.
The average age of autism diagnoses of a child in Arizona is 4-years and 5-months old, according to nonprofit Autism Speaks. Statistics also show that 30% of children who start therapies early enough no longer meet the criteria for autism diagnosis later in childhood.
Ehrich has received feedback from the medical community and pediatricians that stresses the importance of early intervention and its power to lead to a successful and life-changing result.
“They can be in mainstream kindergarten, their social skills will grow significantly, they'll be able to grow up more neurotypical,” she said. “It’s making a huge difference.”
Axis does evaluations in 45-60 days. It accepts several Medicaid and some commercial insurance plans and offers discounted rates for cash payments. About 91% of Axis’ clients are minors, usually because their pediatrician notices they are not reaching certain milestones such as language, not smiling back, reduced eye contact or unexplained behavior challenges.
A streamlined process allows psychologists to diagnose via Zoom, meaning clients only have to come into an office once for the evaluation. Axis has a large team of doctors with different specialties, including Spanish speakers to accommodate Axis’ 20% of clients who prefer to communicate in Spanish.
“We can choose from a deep bench and it’s easy for both,” she said.
Axis growth has doubled year over year from 2023 to this year, Ehrich said.
Among its five locations in Avondale, Gilbert, Glendale, Phoenix and Tucson, Axis diagnoses about 400 children and adults every month. Ehrich said. As the largest diagnoser in the state, Axis evaluates babies as young as 12 months and has seen one person in their 70s.
Many adults come to Axis after they've been given many other diagnoses in the past that don't seem quite right, have trouble meeting new people, have difficulty building supportive relationships, or have trouble figuring out a job or lifestyle that works for them.
Some mothers spot Axis on social media.
This was the case for Nikki Espinoza, who had two of her children, ages 3 and 4-and-a-half, evaluated and diagnosed with autism by Axis.
Espinoza noticed a few irregularities that she didn’t see with her older children, such as screaming for something instead of pointing at it. She thought something was off and only after insisting her child needed a screening, her pediatrician at the time referred her to Axis two-and-a-half years ago.
Espinoza has no idea about the autism world, especially the really long wait times for evaluations. Axis spared her. The process to get an appointment was easy and her wait was about two weeks.
“The good thing is that you don’t need a referral,” said Espinoza, who lives in Glendale. “There’s nothing stopping a parent from getting your child screened. They made it very smooth and easy for me.”
When she noticed her younger child’s speech delay, Espinoza got her screened at age 2 and learned she had a different kind of autism from her older brother. Since then, her children have been receiving the therapies they need and have been reaching and exceeding many milestones.
The Axis parent group has given Espinoza the opportunity to connect with others in her shoes and exchange ideas on what has worked and what hasn’t.
“Axis was there for us when my pediatrician wasn’t,” said Espinoza, who has changed pediatricians since. “Early intervention for me and my kids has been a blessing. When there’s a community that shares those things with you, it’s so nice to be understood and feel that we are in a good place.”
Axis is part of an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and therapeutics market that’s projected to reach $5.03 billion in 2028, according to research and consulting firm Verified Market Research.
Axis also runs its own applied behavior analysis therapy clinics to give families who need it a landing spot after diagnosis. If families need other resources in the way of a social worker to help with the school system or funding from different sources, Axis is there for those too.
“We hold the family’s hand through the journey,” Ehrich said.
This year, Axis created a network of therapy providers to help address a shortage of therapists. Like the clinics, this allows them to track outcomes and witness the changes in children.
“Those are the success stories, kids that come in and aren’t speaking at 3 or 4 years, and they say our first words with us,” Ehrich said. “To see the progress of these kids is incredible.”
What: Axis for Autism
Where: Phoenix, Avondale, Glendale, Gilbert
Employees: 135
Interesting stat: The autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and therapeutics market is projected to reach $5.03 billion in 2028, according to research and consulting firm Verified Market Research.
Details: axisforautism.com
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Axis for Autism: Early, easy, fast, bilingual screenings for kids
