Hopebridge Aims to Help Arizona’s Children with New Autism Therapy Centers

Why Arizona Needs Hopebridge’s Center-Based ABA and Diagnostic Services

Can you imagine suspecting your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but living too far from any diagnostic resources to get the help they need? Or let’s say you have the local resources for an evaluation, but the wait list is so long that it is delayed longer than six months. Sadly, this is what we recently heard from some of Arizona’s parents,* and now Hopebridge is on a mission to change it.

Because of this growing need for early intervention services in Arizona, Hopebridge is expanding into the state with 12 centers over the next year and a half. The first locations for the innovative center-based therapy will open next month in Glendale and North Phoenix, followed by Tucson East in October. All three centers are already scheduling autism diagnosis assessments and applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) to lead up to the openings.

5 Reasons Why We Are Bringing Hopebridge’s Autism Services to Arizona:

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1. There is significant interest in ABA therapy in Arizona.
   After hearing from Arizona’s autism parents, we learned nearly 2/3 of those who have not yet enrolled their children in services are interested in exploring ABA therapy. Alternatively, of those who do have their kids in therapy, less than half of them are receiving ABA. This leads us to believe there is a strong interest in the area, yet not enough providers to meet their needs. With plans to grow into 12 ABA-focused centers across the state, we hope to enable children with the tools and strategies they need to live more independent lives, starting at a young age.
   

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2. There is a void in local diagnostic and ABA services in many parts of the state.
   It can often be tough for parents to decide to take the next step for their children to seek out a diagnosis. It’s even tougher when those same parents then find out they need to wait for it. Unfortunately, 41% of Arizona’s parents who sought out an autism assessment waited longer than six months for a diagnosis…even worse, 1/3 waited longer than nine months. The waiting game does not stop once they received a diagnosis either – 16% of those surveyed have been waiting longer than six months to receive therapy. Here’s the good news: with our new centers, Hopebridge can reduce these wait times down to 45 days in the areas it serves!
   

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3. Many of Arizona’s parents feel there is limited support for the autism community.
   Without the proper support resources in place, families of children on the spectrum can feel isolated. We learned 70% of those who use autism services in the state feel their children are not receiving the care they need. It’s important to us that therapy makes life easier for both children and their families. That is why, in addition to ABA therapy, we offer services like parent training to help beyond Hopebridge walls, Parents’ Night Out events for a little respite, and a community of individuals all working together toward the same cause.
   

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4. Convenience is a concern for many of the state’s autism families.
   We do not think families should have to spend their time driving all over town or coordinating between therapists in order to get their children the care they need. Yet, of those who utilize autism services in Arizona, more than half of them told us their kids receive therapy in more than one location. These same parents seem to agree with us – nearly 1/3 are interested in more convenient therapy locations, and 40% would prefer to receive all therapies in one place. We can give them more. Our center-based care will bring comprehensive, one-on-one ABA therapy closer to home for many of these families. Plus, with plans to add our interdisciplinary services like speech, feeding and occupational therapy in the future, our centers will also enable children to receive multiple therapies in one place.
   

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5. Arizona’s families need more affordable therapy options.
   While it’s no surprise, our survey also found insurance coverage to be a key factor for parents when choosing an autism therapy provider. At Hopebridge, we understand the importance of affordable options, and we are a preferred provider for most major insurance companies, as well as Medicaid. We also have a full-service team of Care and Benefits specialists to help navigate the entire process, from obtaining authorizations, to determining costs, to troubleshooting.

Are you a parent of a child with autism in Arizona and want to give him or her the best life possible? To be one of the first to schedule an evaluation at Hopebridge’s new Arizona centers or learn more about our individualized programs and services, connect with us here. You can also stay up to date on all our existing and upcoming locations on our centers page.

* All data referenced in this article was collected via a market survey of 281 respondents, as conducted by Hopebridge.