Cleo expands its benefit platform to support parents of neurodivergent children

Working parents will always need extra support from their employers — for parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children, that helping hand can be a lifeline. 

Fifteen percent of children and teens have a neurodivergent condition, like ADHD, autism and dyslexia, among others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The stress of finding a proper diagnosis and then providing consistent care can take its toll: various academic research has found that mothers of children with autism and other neurodivergent conditions have higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety than parents with typically developing children. 

Family benefits platform Cleo has recently expanded its offerings to launch a neurodiversity program, which provides support, education and care coordination for parents of neurodivergent children. Since its launch in June, participation has increased 325%, and 100% of participants say it has reduced their caregiving stress. 

"Really our focus is how to create that individualized care plan for families, and understanding what are the needs of their child or children," says Dr. Madhavi Vemireddy, chief clinical officer at Cleo. "It's not just about the neurodivergent child — parents are having to take care of them and also themselves and that can be really overwhelming and create a lot of stress and anxiety and other significant burdens." 

Read more: 4 ways employers can combat stigmas surrounding neurodiversity 

Vemireddy experienced those emotions first-hand — her oldest son was diagnosed with autism at age five. While she and her husband are both clinicians, the experience came with a huge learning curve that she says would have been alleviated with more community support. 

"My husband and I are both clinicians but we didn't know what to expect, and it caused huge stress," she says. "To have a community of families that are going through similar situations to share best practices, things that are challenging — that's what we have at Cleo today." 

Through Cleo's neurodiversity program, parents and caregivers are partnered with a trained guide, many of whom already have experience in special education and early intervention. Guides work with parents to learn their needs, walk them through the steps to getting a diagnosis, and then help them find support and accommodations, be it at school, through provider referrals or other needed resources. 

Read more: Tap into talent: Ending the underrepresentation of neurodiversity in the workplace 

Understanding that a parent doesn't have to go through this process alone is hugely beneficial for that individual's mental health, as well as their experience in the workplace, Vemireddy says. 

"To feel like your employer is supporting your mental health and well-being and providing a balanced work-life environment, all of these things are connected," she says. "Families are dealing with these things at the same time. Cleo's perspective is how to look at the entire family network and what that support might mean to that unique situation."