A Magazine from Akron Children's
For patients who have autism spectrum disorders, coming to Akron Children’s can be loud, bright and distracting. The NeuroDevelopmental Science Center, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and Autism Diagnostic Clinic teams are changing that experience — when the new Tom and Jill Zidian Family Autism Center opens in November 2025.
The Els family – Ernie, Ben and Liezl – attend the Autism Center hard-hat tour with donors Jill and Tom Zidian and Akron Children’s President and CEO Chris Gessner.
The new autism center is located on the first floor of the Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute on the Akron Children’s campus. “It can be stressful for our families to navigate the parking garages and the Considine Professional Building,” said Allison Burke, PhD, child and adolescent psychologist and director of the Akron Children’s Autism Diagnostic Clinic. “Our new facility will have convenient parking and a dedicated entrance. We wanted it to be easy for families to get to, taking some of the stress away from going to their child’s appointments.”
It took a team effort to design the new center — including input from clinical and facilities staff members, patient families, architects and a design consultant who runs an autism preschool program. “We won’t have tons of bright lights and contrasting colors that can overwhelm our patients,” Dr. Burke explained. “We’ll have little alcoves in the walkways where families can sit down and take a break. Or if a child is in a group therapy session and needs to step out for some one-on-one time, we have spaces to do that.”
The autism center will have room for more team members, including another psychologist and mental health therapists. “Care for mental health issues like anxiety or depression is a common need among autistic individuals,” Dr. Burke said. “We have therapists within Akron Children’s who have a strong interest in working with that population — not treating their autism but their mental health needs — and these therapists will be located at the new center.”
A primary care provider will be available for kids with more complex needs who need a sick visit or vaccines. “It’s a collaborative effort between Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and Akron Children’s pediatric primary care to develop this service at the new autism center,” said Jessica Foster, MD, director of Akron Children’s Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. “We worked together to make behavioral health resources available at the Akron Children’s Pediatrics network of offices — and now we’re adding primary care to the autism center. It’s a truly integrated model of care, and our patients will benefit from that.”
The autism center will feature some new services, too. “We’re expanding our social skills programming,” Dr. Burke said. “Right now, we just have an adolescent group that’s been running for about three years. We will be offering a preschool version of that program, teaching 4- to 6-year-olds how to listen and follow directions; use good volume and body control; and make and keep friends.”
Dr. Jessica Foster talks with patient Victor Lewis.
Designed with patient comfort in mind, the new center will feature more services in one convenient location.
Access to autism care is a growing, national problem. “As part of this autism center build, we’ve been changing our processes to make it easier for providers to refer patients,” Dr. Burke said. “We noticed duplicate referrals or providers being confused about who does what related to autism — which led to delays in receiving care.”
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and the Autism Diagnostic Clinic are also working with Akron Children’s Pediatrics on a pilot program called START Local — which stands for Screening and Testing for At-Risk Toddlers in Local Primary Care. “Sometimes, a pediatrician knows a patient has autism — and waiting for a diagnosis from our multidisciplinary team on the Akron campus isn’t needed,” Dr. Burke explained. “We’re training pediatricians about autism care in each Akron Children’s Pediatrics region, so we can get young kids diagnosed sooner and into the programs they need.
“If a patient screens high risk for autism at a well check, the child would be referred to one of these specially trained Akron Children’s Pediatrics providers,” she continued. “If a child needs specialty care for autism, we would certainly provide it. But having the child’s primary care provider manage autism care when appropriate will reduce the wait times for patients who need a higher level of care.”
For Tom and Jill Zidian of Boardman, autism is personal. “Our daughter, Jillian, was diagnosed with autism at age 4. It was so hard to navigate the system and learn what resources were available,” Jill recalled. “Now, I want our donation to help families get the support they need, especially when their children are newly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.”
The Zidians’ hope their $2 million donation to the center will make care more easily accessible for families in need. “There’s such a demand for autism care, and it’s tough when you don’t know which way to turn,” Tom explained. “We hope the new center will allow kids to get the care they need sooner. Part of the gift is also funding an autism navigator position in Boardman, who will support families and connect them to the resources they need.”
The Zidians were on hand for a hard-hat tour of the autism center on June 17. Other special guests included professional golfer Ernie Els; his wife, Liezl; and their 22-year-old son, Ben. The Els family also has a personal connection to autism, as Ben was diagnosed with autism at age 3 1/2.
“That hard-hat event was such a special day for the whole team who cares for patients with autism,” Dr. Burke recalled. “It was overwhelmingly emotional for Dr. Foster, Sarah Delahanty, our administrative director, and me. We’re so passionate about the new center; we’ve been planning it and dreaming about it for years. We can’t wait to see how it impacts the families who depend on us.”
From inspiring stories, to medical miracles, the More childhood, pleaseTM magazine will make you appreciate those precious 6,574 days of childhood.
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