Urgent Care centers catered to children with Autism open on Long Island
LONG ISLAND (WABC) -- There's a brand new Urgent Care program on Long Island that is catered specifically to children with autism.
All three are located at Northwell's Go-Health Urgent Care Centers.
Families in the area say this feels like a life-saver in more ways than one.
Walking into an Urgent Care facility can be overwhelming for any family, but for the Trinagels of Commack and 11-year-old twins Mylo and Izzy, it's far more complicated than that.
"It's always an adventure..It's a frightening adventure because you never know what you're gonna get with them," said father, Eric Trinagel.
With autism, even the most basic of medical exams can feel frightening. But now Northwell Health's Go-Health Urgent Care, is the first in the nation with a new designation from the group Autism Speaks with at least a thousand staff members and doctors at three urgent cares on Long Island.
The doctors and staff are now specially trained from the waiting rooms to the exam rooms to better treat patients like Izzy and Mylo on the spectrum.
"I always count down when I sense some form of anxiety, but that seemed to be what he also does, so we kind of met together and counted at the same time," Dr. Lynda Gerberg of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care said.
Mylo and Izzy were diagnosed at 2 years old and the Trinagels, for years navigated difficult visits to many places.
The boys can only verbalize things with a couple of words.
"My 'head hurts, head hurts'..that's all you're gonna get from them, you're not gonna get, like 'I'm getting a head hurt that's like a sharp shooting pain,'" Trinagel said.
"Sometimes children with autism have a very high threshold for pain, so you won't even think they broke their leg..Some doctors will say, 'Oh, they sprained it," Risa Trinage, the boys' mother said.
Another example, Mylo tends to choose option 2 of multiple choice questions whether it be right or wrong.
"Do you like ice cream of the doctor's office better?"
"Doctor office better."
So imagine the stress of diagnosing an emergency.
"There are times where I'm just like oh my god and I just wish I could take them someplace and have like a normal experience where I'm not being judged or worried about being thrown out," Trinagel said.
It's estimated that the families of nearly 17,000 children on Long Island are touched by autism spectrum disorder, making this designation that much more critical, especially as we head into the season for respiratory illnesses.
Patients at Go-Health facilities here in Lake Success, Elwood and Hewlett now all offering options for sensory overload. But most of all it's the individualized care for Mylo and Izzy, each with very different needs.
They say the most basic need is universal.
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