2025–2026 xMinds Program Year Highlights

Priority 1: Deepening parent empowerment by providing families with information and resources

• Provided 222 free consultations to families through the consult team and two in-person clinics, offering guidance on special education and transition to adulthood benefits and services in four languages (English, Spanish, Mandarin and Amharic).
  
  

• Presented 11 (8 online and 3 in-person) speaker events, broadening the knowledge base and perspectives of parents, caregivers, and educators who support autistic students.
  
  

• Hosted 4 autistic presenters through our Self Advocates Panel as part of our continued emphasis on centering autistic voices, and continued to highlight the work of autistic artists, authors and advocates in a dedicated section of our monthly newsletter.
  
  

• Hosted the in-person Annual IEP Clinic attended by over 100 people. Provided 65 free 25-minute individual consultations with an educational advocate. The clinic featured 13 professional advocates and attorneys, 4 professional sponsors, and 30 volunteers, and translation services for Spanish, Mandarin and Amharic speakers. The Clinic’s keynote speaker, Joanna Krill, offered two live presentations titled “Your Voice Matters” on the parent/caregiver’s central role in their child’s IEP.
  
  

• Provided individual guidance to 97 families who requested assistance advocating for appropriate special education services, with help from our volunteer consultation team.
  
  

• Attracted over 63,500 unique visitors to our online resources.
  
  

• Received 17,490 pageviews of our popular webpage on common classroom accommodations for autistic students — everything from kinesthetic seating to speech-to-text software.
  
  

• Updated the xMinds Guide to MCPS Special Education Placements for Autistic Students with the latest information including interactive maps of MCPS special education services to reflect changes made to program locations.
  
  

• Updated and expanded our Summer Camp Guide, a popular resource drawing nearly 1,800 views, directing families to camps and programs that autistic students have enjoyed in past years.
  
  

• Offered five targeted monthly virtual discussion groups, providing opportunities for parents/caregivers to connect and share resources, including Lunchtime Reboot, a new self-care group for parents of autistic children.
  
  

• Hosted over 400 families at playground and open gym meetups for families with autistic elementary and preschool students, offering opportunities to build community and providing a judgment-free place for autistic children to play.
  
  

• Expanded our efforts to publicize our free resources and services to parents by staffing tables at 12 different events including 5 school fairs, 2 MCPS special education resource fairs, and 5 county-wide events.

• Co-hosted with the Autism Society of Maryland our second Transition to Adulthood Clinic which provided 60 families free consultation appointments with 13 local professionals, 25 community resource tables, a workroom with free demos of the Special Needs Navigator AI assistant, and two keynote speeches from disabilities planning expert Eric Jorgensen on DORS/DDA and SSI. Interpreter services were offered for Spanish and Mandarin speakers.

Priority 2: Increasing and diversifying xMinds’ reach

• Continued our efforts to reach Spanish-speaking parents of autistic students by 1) publishing a Spanish version of the monthly xMindsWire online newsletter 2) offering free consults with Spanish speaking advocates at our IEP Clinic and through our Consult Team 3) providing simultaneous Spanish interpretation at all our speaker events, and 4) making a Spanish recording available afterward on our YouTube Channel.
  
  

• Helped connect Spanish-speaking families of autistic students through our WhatsApp group “xMinds en Español,” and our virtual monthly discussion group for Spanish-speaking parents.
  
  

• Strengthened our connection to the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community through our BIPOC Outreach Program Team. Offered the monthly People of the Global Majority parent discussion group and hosted the BIPOC SplashPark summer get-together.

• Offered multiple language services including Spanish, Mandarin, and Amharic interpretation at the IEP Clinic and Spanish and Mandarin support at the Transition to Adulthood Clinic.

• Continuing our partnership with Marriott International, Marriott volunteers made and donated over 100 sensory kits which were distributed as giveaways at xMinds events and resource tables.

• Offered ALL core xMinds programming for free to ensure that resources and events are available to all families, regardless of their financial status.
  
  
  

Priority 3: Promoting improved educational experiences for autistic students in MCPS through teacher and staff training and through advocacy concerning systemic problems

• Debuted the xMinds Pop-Up Sensory Room at the Takoma Park Middle School “To the Moon” dance. Provided a dedicated space for autistic students participating in the dance to relax and reset if experiencing sensory overload. Purchased an array of proven therapeutic items like fidgets, blackout tents, sensory lamps and lighting, and cushioned seating and flooring. Solidified a process by which schools can rent the sensory room to facilitate inclusion for their autistic students at social events that may otherwise have been overwhelming.

• Distributed nearly $13,800 through our Educator Grant Program to 106 MCPS educators and paraeducators, benefiting an estimated 2,338 autistic students. The program enabled educators to purchase autism-related supplies and attend autism-related training, in all cases with the goal of providing better support for their autistic students.
  
  

• Reached out and introduced ourselves to new special education leadership to continue 16 years of xMinds/MCPS collaboration.
  

Priority 4: Shaping special education public policy

• Continued the expansion of the Policy Program Team to influence public policies improving outcomes for autistic students. The Policy Program Team sent letters to MCPS, the Board of Education, County Council members, and the media to raise awareness on issues such as the teacher shortage crisis, the adverse effects of budget and staffing cuts, and the closure of an autism program.
  
  

• As a member of the Educational Advocacy Coalition (a group of more than 50 organizations and individuals that represent the interests of special education students and their families in Maryland) proposed, lobbied for, and helped to enact legislation impacting school districts throughout the state.
  
  

• As a member of Enriqueciendo Vidas (EV), a coalition of 24 Maryland disability organizations, continued to advocate for the Hispanic community to have equitable access to disability services in Maryland. Signed onto letters and legislation to require state agencies to provide resources in Spanish and fund grants to nonprofits to help in breaking down barriers so underserved populations can access services.
  
  

• Continued our partnership with Maryland Equity Coalition for People with Disabilities, an organization formed in 2024 consisting of 40 community-based organizations who partner to ensure people living with disabilities have equitable access to services regardless of their background.
  

Priority 5: Preparing ASD students in Montgomery County for life

• In collaboration with the Autism Society of Maryland, we co-hosted our second Transition to Adulthood Clinic, designed to help autistic young adults and their families navigate the complex process of applying for adult disability benefits and services. The event provided 60 complimentary consultation appointments with 13 local professionals, access to 25 community resource tables, and two keynote addresses by a disability planning expert — all aimed at equipping families with the knowledge and resources needed to support a successful transition to adulthood.

• Offered our monthly Let’s Talk Transitions virtual parent discussion group for parents/caregivers of autistic students in middle or high school to share information and resources for supporting their children's transition into adulthood.
  

• Held more social events for autistic teens including a Star Wars-themed Teen Jedi night party attended by more than 90 parents and teens and a Dungeons & Dragons summer club.
  

Priority 6: Growing our organization

• Increased xMinds’ staff with the addition of a full-time Community Engagement Coordinator.

• Welcomed the valuable contributions of 72 active volunteers, assisting in our programming through our working committees or events, including 9 high and middle school students earning SSL hours; and 30 professional educational advocates, education lawyers, disability benefits consultants and attorneys in our local community who provided their expertise for free at xMinds clinics.

• Brought on three new Board members, including an autistic self advocate and social worker.
  

• Recruited and trained 13 volunteers under the supervision of professional special education advocates to provide families with free team consults.
  

• Benefited from the help of a team of independent contractors who continued to expand our website resources, develop our social media presence, maintain our bookkeeping, and file our seventh Form 990-EZ with the IRS.
  

• Raised over $65,000 from 548 individual donors through our annual Bike to the Beach DC fundraiser.
  

• Raised nearly $80,000 from individual donations and $4,450 from 33 active professional members.
  

See more of our past accomplishments in 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025