The Problem
The Maze of Pre & Post Diagnosis
50%
The percent of families who report feeling
lost trying to navigate the system.
Source: Medical Home, CHOP
5-10
The number of specialists that most families need to coordinate for their child's care annually.
Source: MedicalXpress, NCBI
3 in 5
The number of pediatricians who struggle connecting families and non-medical services.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
54%
The percent of teachers who understand neuropsychology reports & prefer shorter versions.
Source: Oxford Academic
Our Solution
Keikens [kay-kens] is a marketplace to support both families of neurodiverse children and the providers who serve them.
.png)
We're on a mission
Keikens’ missions is to help humans thrive by providing access to enriching knowledge and experiences they want and deserve.
We have a vision
Our vision is to positively impact 10 million lives in the next ten years by fostering curiosity and demystifying stigmas associated with neurodiversity, one shared experience at a time.
FAQs
Have a questions that you're not seeing an answer to? Send an email to support@keikens.com and we'll get back to you with an answer!
Keikens [kay-kens] means 'experience' in Japanese. We added an 's' to Japanglish it. We chose this name because we believe experiences are powerful teachers, especially for neurodiverse individuals and their families.
The name has deep personal roots for our founder, Katie. Growing up with a dad who had MS and later raising her neurodiverse son, Oliver, Katie learned the importance of experiences in understanding oneself and others. When Oliver's psychologist stressed the value of experiences in helping him recognize his skills and strengths, it echoed Katie's mom's wisdom: "Life is about experiences, not things."
Keikens emerged from this blend of personal journey and professional insight, aiming to connect families with resources and experiences that can make a world of difference for neurodiverse individuals.
We're starting in Minneapolis-St. Paul, home to about 3.7 million people. With 1 in 5 people being neurodiverse, that means roughly 15-20% of the population, or over half a million individuals, may benefit from our services. We plan to expand to more Midwest cities next year and, eventually, across the U.S. We're growing step by step, working closely with our first users.
Want Keikens in your city? Click here to let us know. Your interest helps us decide where to go next.
Keikens is for anyone touched by neurodiversity who wants to keep learning and find support that fits. About 15-20% of people may be neurodiverse, so there's a real need for what we do. We're not trying to solve everything - we know everyone's different and needs change. We're building a place where families can learn, find services, and make choices that work for them.
We team up with experts and families to find and create useful stuff. Our goal is to offer to offer support that fits what neurodiverse individuals and their families really need. We're always improving based on what our users tell us and what new research shows. This matters because many families struggle to find good resources for their neurodiverse members.
People often find the best help through word of mouth. In fact, people are 4 times more likely to try something when a friend suggests it. We're setting up a way for both providers and families to recommend services they trust. This gives families more options based on real experiences. Our goal is to make it easier to find good support, guided by those who've been there.
We connect families with resources and experiences, but we don't provide services ourselves. We're working on ways to include different payment options, like waivers and insurance. We want to make support more affordable for all families. We're talking with service providers to figure out how to do this. It's important because caring for neurodiverse family members can be expensive.
Neurodiversity
-
Neurodiversity is when brains function differently than what is considered typical.
-
Common forms include Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Learning Disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia), and Tourette Syndrome.
-
1 in 6 children (16%) in the world have brains that work differently.
About Keikens
Experiences shape us. They help us better understand who we are, our strengths, our skills. When my son was diagnosed as neurodivergent, I was lost in a maze of fragmented information from doctors, therapists, and educators. I saw possibility, but also how hard it was to find the right support for unique skills and strengths.
So I founded Keikens [kay-kens]. It's where families and providers meet. We believe in the power of connection and creating access to experiences that develop abilities and potential.
One family, one provider at a time.
Katie Jacobs
Founder