Easterseals North Georgia Adds Family Navigator Program for Children With Autism

Children and families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to gain access to additional resources following critical program expansion.

ATLANTA (April 20, 2023) – Easterseals North Georgia (ESNG), a community-based nonprofit that provides high-quality services to children with disabilities and families, expands its Autism Services with a Family Navigator Program. ESNG’s Navigator Program focuses on connecting children with ASD and their families to community resources including therapy, parent education and support, and financial assistance such as scholarship funds and the Medicaid deeming waiver. The organization pioneered Early Childhood Mental and Behavioral Health in Georgia and has offered Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy since 2019. To expand the program’s reach to more children and to ensure an individualized coordination of care, the organization has added two Family Navigators to its Autism Services team.

Family Navigators provide care coordination for families and children diagnosed with or showing signs of ASD. This entails providing family connections to external resources and/or identifying and coordinating direct service needs. Family Navigators also work with teachers in the classroom across ESNG’s network of Early Education and Care Centers to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and training needed to best support their student’s learning and development. The Family Navigator Program seeks to partner with families at the earliest sign of a delay. They work hand in hand to identify any concerns or needs before they become barriers to learning and development. “Our goal through the Autism/ABA program is to eliminate barriers to understanding the issues and accessing necessary resources while also providing guidance to the family/caregiver. We strive to continuously meet children and families where they are and connect them to the resources and services they need within their own communities,” stated Meighan Adams, Director of Autism Services for Easterseals North Georgia.

Recently, the CDC released updated prevalence rates for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Based on the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities (ADDM) Network, an estimated 1 in 36 children have been identified with ASD. This same report noted that 1 in 6 children ages 3-17 were diagnosed with a developmental disability. When looking specifically at the metro Atlanta area, 47% of 8-year-old children identified with ASD received a developmental evaluation by the age of 3. “Easterseals North Georgia is a trusted resource for children with disabilities and their families. We are uniquely positioned to meet the growing needs of our community and are hyper-focused on reaching underserved communities where healthcare disparities are prevalent,” explained Donna Davidson, CEO of Easterseals North Georgia.