According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately one in six, or about 17%, of children aged 3 through 17 years have one or more developmental disabilities due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. Parents whose children are diagnosed with a disability often need help identifying services and resources available to support them.
Care Specialists, an employee benefit, provides parents with 1:1 guidance, information, and personalized care plans to help them locate helpful resources for children with disabilities.
Ariel Russo, a Care Specialist whose own son was diagnosed with a disability years ago, has devoted her career to helping other parents in similar situations. “Oftentimes parents call because they suspect their child may have a disability—and they have no idea where to start,” says Ariel. “So, we talk about options and resources, and how we can help them find providers that can give them a diagnosis. One of my favorite parts of my job is helping parents who are facing similar situations as I did with my child.”
How Care Specialists helped one mom find a diagnosis for her daughter—and herself
Ariel recalls a case where she helped both a mother and daughter find help and advocate for a diagnosis. An employee called because she was having trouble focusing at work. She also started to recognize similar characteristics in her daughter, particularly impulsivity and difficulty focusing on schoolwork. The mother needed help finding a provider who could evaluate them both for learning disabilities.
Ariel researched options, and referred them to testing and evaluation facilities, including a family practitioner who was able to accommodate both the mother and daughter. The family practitioner also accepted her insurance making it a more affordable option for the mom than private testing.
Weeks later, the employee contacted Ariel to let her know how grateful she was for her help. Turns out the employee and her daughter both had a similar learning disability—and the diagnosis helped them get the support they needed to better succeed at work and at school. Ariel also continued to support the employee after the diagnosis by researching and providing referrals to school advocates and tutors in their neighborhood for the daughter.
According to Ariel, a diagnosis is an important first step, but parenting a child with a disability is often a life-long journey. Care Specialists help parents find supportive services as their children get older and their needs change. “There is no time frame that we’re required to follow when speaking to employees,” explains Ariel. “We spend as much time as our families need—and they can call us back at any time if their needs change or if they need additional support.”
Supporting working parents improves workplace productivity, focus, and loyalty
A growing number of companies are supporting the needs of working parents with inclusive benefits and programs to support children, including specialized support for children with disabilities. When employees have parenting concerns, or don’t know where to turn for appropriate care resources, they can have a hard time focusing at work.
Providing benefits, such as access to Care Specialists, can have a significant impact on their family lives and their productivity at work. Last year, employees who used Care Specialists said the benefits saved them more than 17 hours per request. Plus, when employees feel supported by their employers with child care and parenting needs, they also are more loyal to their employer—improving retention for organizations.
