Alison French, CEO of Emerged, and her daughter
Alison French is the CEO of Emerged Inc., a SaaS healthcare technology company based in San Diego. French is also a mother of three and a Marine Corps spouse who has spent her career working remotely. This has given her an inherent understanding of the importance of balancing and aligning personal and business life.
“E-commerce and digital marketing became my passion because I loved the analytics and attribution that came with this niche,” French said. “My skill set was in high demand, and it allowed me to choose the jobs that fit my lifestyle (military spouse with children, and the need to move every 2-3 years). I quickly discovered that startups gave me the freedom of location that I needed, but, more importantly, I got to dive into a variety of different roles. I realized I loved managing all facets of a business, not working in a single silo. This desire to lead a business is ultimately what led me to Emerged.”
Emerged began in 2020, which was also the year French’s daughter received an autism diagnosis. As a fellow working parent with a neurodivergent child, we spoke about what skills as a CEO and entrepreneur helped her advocate for her child.
Recognizing Developmental Delays
Autistic boy lining up cars to achieve order in his world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates autism’s prevalence as 1 in 54 children in the United States. An estimated 1 out of 37 boys and 1 in 151 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. In toddlers, parents might notice:
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- Delayed speech
- Using only a few gestures (waving, clapping, pointing)
- Not responding when someone calls their name
- Avoiding eye contact
- Not sharing enjoyment or interests with others
- Unusual ways of moving the hands, fingers, or whole body
- Being very focused or attached to unique objects
- Little to no imitating of others or pretending
- Unusual sensory interests
- Rituals such as repeating things over and over or lining up objects
“Our daughter hit all the milestones and was a confident, social kid,” shared French. “So we didn’t have the same warning signs that people expect when you hear the word autism. For us, the fine motor skills plus defiance, stubbornness, and subsequent meltdowns had me concerned.”
French would meet with their pediatrician when her daughter was 4-years-old to discuss her concerns but was essentially dismissed. Then, when her daughter was 5 years old, they moved to a bigger city and had access to more medical resources. They connected with a pediatrician who listened and referred them to a child psychologist at the Autism Discovery Institute through Rady’s Children’s hospital. They learned that their daughter was brilliant academically but needed help in some social settings triggering her through extensive testing.
“I immediately went into problem-solving mode when a meltdown would happen,” French said. “Whenever I got a nugget of information from OT or speech, I’d research like crazy to educate myself on the topic. That research usually connected me to a new resource like Tilt parenting or connecting with parenting groups that would provide great tips that made life a little easier.”
How Skills As A CEO Helped To Advocate For Her Child
Alison French, CEO of Emerged with her family
When asked how her background, ability to pivot quickly and run a business lent itself to ensuring her daughter received a proper diagnosis and access to the care she needed, French shared this list:
Perseverance: “Never giving up has been key to my success in my career and getting my daughter the care she needs,” French states. “From long waitlists for specialists to a lack of adequate insurance coverage, the hurdles of navigating life with a special needs child are endless, and giving up is not an option.”
Persistence: “Professionally, I’ve made huge strides by not bailing on ideas when the flywheel was heavy and barely moving. The same applies to getting your child access to the care or tools that they need to thrive.”
Only Accepting an A-Team: “I’m very open with my team that I only accept A-level performance. I’m quick to fire employees that underperform. In this case, the team is the extended circle of occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, teachers, psychologists, childcare.” French recommends that you be prepared to fire quickly if you don’t see your child progressing within reasonable milestones. Moving on and finding new care providers is hard, but you will see a transformation once you get the right group of people supporting your child.
Evaluating the ROI: “Evaluating the ROI for medical care is just like assessing the ROI on any business investment,” advised French. “Medical care can be expensive, especially when electing to go out-of-network for the care your child needs. But it’s not just the financial cost you need to consider. You also need to factor in the price of time associated with care when taking your child to recurring medical appointments. These two areas can be expensive for a family, and ensuring you’re getting the ROI is critical.”
Advice for Others
French feels transparency is key when asked if she has any advice for other working parents of autistic children. She advised that you should feel comfortable communicating when you need to be offline to take your child to a doctor’s appointment or if you’re working from the parking lot at occupational therapy.
“Your peers, employees, and superiors can only support you if they know the journey you are on. Being open that your child has a diagnosis empowers your team to help you. And keeping it a secret adds unnecessary pressure as you try to coordinate the best care possible for your child.”
Lastly, she recommends having a therapist. “Having a special needs child brings the mama bear out, and you will do whatever you can to support your child, but that can also be a heavy load to carry. Sometimes you need a person you can vent to or troubleshoot a problem with, and it’s a relief to do so in a safe space where you don’t have to worry about judgment.”
