Axis for Autism Opens Avondale Location, Expands Access to Care Amid Skyrocketing Autism Evaluation Demand

We’re proud to announce a new Axis for Autism clinic in Avondale, at 12725 W. Indian School Road, Suite C102, has officially opened its doors. Furthering our mission to serve families across Arizona since 2021, the clinic will improve access to autism care across the West Valley using a proprietary model that significantly cuts wait times for lifechanging evaluations, interventions and therapies.

The new location will enable us to expand care while improving convenience for West Valley children and adults. Diagnostic evaluations are available in English and Spanish. This is noteworthy, as families across Arizona often wait a year or longer for an autism evaluation. What’s more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 36 Arizona children has autism, up from 1 in 64 in 2008.

“Demand for autism evaluations is through the roof, yet families face so many obstacles just trying to get an appointment with the right kind of doctor,” said Founder and CEO Christine Ehrich. “Our new clinic in Avondale will allow us to serve more families and help them connect with critical interventions more quickly,” she said.

A wealth of research shows early interventions can improve a child’s overall development, from boosting social and language skills to mitigating behavioral challenges and improving IQ. To that end, we aim to bring down the average age of diagnosis – from 4 years 10 months to 2 years.

The new Avondale clinic will provide diagnostic services to children as well as adults. Services will be available in English and Spanish to ensure language is not a barrier for families seeking care.

“Our goal with this new clinic is to remove all roadblocks to an autism diagnosis,” said Christine.

As demand has increased and wait lists have grown longer, the cost of an evaluation also has gone up, creating an additional barrier to care. Many providers charge up to $4,500 for screenings and do not accept health insurance. Our clinic and its expansive provider network are covered by commercial insurers and Medicaid, meaning families have no or low out-of-pocket costs. We also offer a cash-pay option.

Physicians can make a referral to us, or families may reach out directly to schedule. Evaluations take place at our locations in Central Phoenix, Gilbert, Glendale, Avondale or Tucson.

Additionally, we offer applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy — a highly effective, evidence-based practice that helps children, adolescents and adults with autism strengthen important skills and achieve developmental milestones. While ABA clinics are now open in Gilbert and Tucson, we plan to expand these services to the West Valley later this year.

Learn more about our approach or schedule an evaluation today.