First xMinds Event of the School Year Features Parents SIGN UP TO SPEAK YOUR MIND |
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Your class or school may have been directly impacted by budget cuts to MCPS special education programs, and xMinds is giving you a chance to speak out. Join xMinds on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 - 8:30 p.m. for the first event of the new school year. |
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Come learn about recent changes to autism services, then share your stories about how special education is being delivered to your child this school year in this virtual listening session.
Parents will have the chance to provide two minutes of testimony each. Click here to register for your Zoom link. Once you register, you’ll be prompted to sign up to provide testimony, either in person or in writing. To reserve your 2-minute time slot, go to: Request to Give Testimony (English) or Solicitud para Dar Testimonio (Español).
MCPS special education administrators have been invited to attend but will not be taking questions during the session. All testimony will be presented later to administrators, and there will be an option to preserve anonymity. Please take this opportunity to speak up at this special event! |
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Join Us for the xMinds IEP Clinic November 9
SIGN UP FOR A FREE IEP CONSULT |
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You’ve been nervously awaiting your child's IEP, wondering: Will teachers and staff hear my concerns? Will my child’s needs be met? To help you strategize for the meeting, xMinds is hosting our annual IEP Clinic on Saturday, Nov. 9, 1 – 4 p.m., in-person at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd E, Silver Spring, MD 20901. |
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Parents can sign up for a 25-minute individual private IEP consultation. To schedule an appointment, you MUST sign up for a specific time-slot through the IEP Clinic Signup Genius Form. You will receive a link to the Form in the confirmation email you'll receive when you register for this event. |
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This year’s keynote speaker will be special education attorney and IEP specialist Frances Shefter of Shefter Law, P.A. Whether this is your first IEP or your eleventh, she will offer valuable tips and tactics. Frances' one-hour presentation will start at 2 p.m. and be followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. |
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Throughout
the session, our professional members, including local service
providers and practitioners, will have tables filled with resources.
Please stop by and chat with these experts!
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Before It Gets Too Cold
JOIN US ON THE PLAYGROUND - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 |
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The mornings have turned a little chilly, but the kids don’t mind. And parents are just happy to let them enjoy the outdoors. |
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The xMinds Preschool and Elementary Parent Outreach Committee will be hosting its monthly meetup for parents of young autistic students on Saturday, Oct 19 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at the playground behind the Ivymount School, 11614 Seven Locks Rd., Rockville, MD 20854. Snacks will be provided.
The whole family is welcome -- including older and younger siblings. As always, xMinds staff will be there to welcome you and answer any questions you might have. |
Mark your calendars for the upcoming playground meetup:
- Saturday, Nov 16, 10 – 11:30 a.m. (last outdoor meetup of the season before winter open gyms begin in January)
Registration is not required but sign up here for reminders and notifications of rain dates.
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Who’s in the Running? LEARN WHAT LOCAL CANDIDATES SAY ABOUT AUTISM |
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In addition to the state and national races we are all inundated with, Montgomery County voters will be choosing our new Board of Education (BOE) representatives next month. These selections are especially important in a time of budget cuts and changes to special education programs. |
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Earlier this fall, xMinds and the Autism Society of Maryland (AUSOM) sent a questionnaire to BOE candidates on subjects ranging from support for discrete autism-specific programs to budget prioritization to equity and access. Of the six candidates running, three responded – Lynne Harris (At Large), Rita Montoya (At Large) and Laura Stewart (District 4). Read their full, unedited responses on the xMinds website. Brenda M. Diaz (District 2), Natalie Zimmerman (District 2) and Shebra Evans (District 4) did not respond to our request.
And don't forget: Make sure you check your voter registration here, as well as polling places, early voting locations and ballot drop boxes. |
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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
START TRANSITION PLANNING EARLY |
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You might think it’s way too early to start thinking about transitioning your child to adulthood and employment, but time sneaks up on you. To help with this, October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “NDEAM’s purpose is to confirm our commitment to ensuring disabled workers have access to good jobs, every month of every year. That’s the spirit behind this year’s official theme: Access to Good Jobs for All.” |
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You may have heard all the acronyms, such as Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), and Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VR) but you may still not be sure what services are offered. xMinds is here to help. We’ve compiled an extensive list of resources on employment transition from high school, including Maryland, county, and private sector programs. Check it out. A little planning could go a long way! |
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Stay Safe and Spooky on Halloween
LEARN SOME SENSORY-FRIENDLY TIPS |
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You’re excited to celebrate the holiday, but your child may be sensitive to the dark and the unexpected.
Here are some sensory-friendly tips: Attend a small party surrounded by familiar faces. Say you’ll start trick or treating in your neighborhood (or a friend’s) but will stop as soon as they have had enough.
Another way to go is a local “Trunk and Treat” event, which is held during the day and allows children to have control over where they pick up their treats, moving from car to car in a parking lot. Here are just a few local Trunk and Treat events in Montgomery County:
Saturday, Oct 26:
Sunday, Oct 27:
Wednesday, Oct 30:
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New Member of the Club
WELCOME JACKIE RENFROW TO THE XMINDS BOARD |
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We are thrilled to welcome Jacqueline Renfrow to the xMinds board. Jackie is a recent graduate from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education with a master’s of science in education and a focus on neurodiverse learners. Her passion for advocating and improving education for all students stems from having three children, each of whom has unique gifts and learning disabilities. |
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Jackie is also a journalist, bringing more than 20 years of experience in
writing, communications, and marketing skills to advocating for autistic
individuals like her son. She is an education commissioner for the City
of Rockville and adjunct faculty at the JHU School of Education. She’s
also the education inclusion specialist at Temple Beth Ami. Jackie has served for the past year on the xMinds Policy Committee. She is the
new chair of our Fundraising Committee. We are excited to have her on board. |
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xMinds is Hiring!
LOOKING FOR AN ADDTION TO THE XMINDS TEAM |
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Do you have impressive attention to detail? Know someone with strong organizational skills looking to support programs for the autism community? xMinds is hiring an administrative assistant who will support the executive director and other team members by managing administrative tasks, coordinating events, and ensuring smooth daily operations. This role requires flexibility, effective communication, and the ability to juggle multiple priorities. Learn more here. |
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Find Us on the Socials
FOLLOW XMINDS ON LINKEDIN |
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xMinds is more than a website. In addition to our existing social media presence, we just launched our new LinkedIn page -https://www.linkedin.com/company/xmindsorg. Follow us on that professional platform. Of course, we still update our other social media pages with articles, resources, videos, and events for families, educators, and professionals who support autistic students in MoCo.
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Other ways to connect with xMinds: |
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Professional Member Spotlight
As a benefit to both our families and professional members, xMinds publishes information about our professional members here in the xMindsWire as well as on our website. Inclusion does not constitute our endorsement. This month, xMinds would like to highlight the following new and renewing professional members:
Matthew B. Bogin, Attorney at Law
5454 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 760, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
www.boginlaw.com
Contact: Matthew Bogin; 301-656-1755; matthew.bogin@boginlaw.com
Services: Financial/trust management
Matthew B. Bogin has been helping families with special needs members throughout the D.C. metropolitan area for over thirty-five years. He is well respected for his championing the varying rights of special needs clients. Currently his particular focus is ensuring that families with special needs members complete and review planning to ensure a successful future for these children. Because that calls for specialized knowledge and expertise, Matthew is ideally suited to assist clients in the area of special needs trust, estate planning, and guardianship.
Center for Assessment And Treatment (CAAT)
8401 Connecticut Ave., Ste. 700, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
240-424-0184; caatonline.com
Contact: David Black, Ph.D.; dblack@caatonline.com
Services: Psychological counseling; Social skills therapy; Behavioral therapy; Neuropsychological testing; Educational testing; Educational consulting
The Center for Assessment And Treatment (CAAT) was created to improve the lives of children, teens, and adults. Their team consists of compassionate clinicians who are dedicated to identifying the obstacles that interfere with an individual’s performance and creating personalized treatment plans to help the individual reach their full potential. CAAT provides extraordinary service through a uniquely integrated and continuous approach to evaluation, treatment, and support. We are committed to helping people reach their potential through careful evaluations of strengths and weaknesses and providing individually tailored, empirically-based interventions.
The Treatment and Learning Centers
2092 Gaither Rd., Ste. 100, Rockville, MD 20850
301-424-5200; www.ttlc.org
Contact: Michelle Lyons; mlyons@ttlc.org
Services: Private school; Psychological counseling; Occupational therapy; Speech/language therapy; Social skills therapy; Educational testing; Neuropsychological testing; Academic tutoring/coaching
TLC serves around 2,000 children and adults with a wide range of different abilities annually. Our mission is to improve the lives and expand possibilities for these individuals through offering a family of services within one organization. We offer: Speech-language and occupational therapy, evaluations and summer programs for children. Comprehensive psychological and educational testing, tutoring and counseling for students with learning challenges. The Katherine Thomas School is a private school for students with moderate to severe language and learning disabilities and/or autism, preschool through twelfth grade. Summer programs and intensive educational programs are available. The Outcomes Service helps individuals with special needs find and keep jobs and live independently in our community. The Family Hearing Center conducts hearing testing, provides counseling, evaluations and hearing aid fittings for all ages.
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Upcoming xMinds Events
XMINDS EVENTS, RESOURCES, & SERVICES ARE ALWAYS FREE
Thursday, October 17, 7–8:30 p.m.
Listening Session on MCPS Autism Services: Amplifying Parent Voices
Come share your stories about how special education is being delivered to your child. Register here.
Saturday, October 19, 10–11:30 a.m.
Elementary and Preschool Playground Meetup
Meet other elementary and preschool families with autistic children. Register here.
Wednesday, October 23, 7–7:45 p.m.
Let's Talk Transitions -- Parent Discussion Group
Online discussion group for MoCo parents of an autistic student in middle or high school. Register here.
Monday, October 28, 7–7:45 p.m.
Small Steps Together
Online discussion group for MoCo parents/guardians of an autistic elementary or preschool child. Register here.
Monday, November 4, 7–7:45 p.m.
People of the Global Majority Discussion Group
Online discussion group for MoCo parents/guardians of autistic children who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Register here.
Wednesday, November 6, 7–7:45 p.m.
Hablemos Educación Especial — Grupo de Discusión de Padres
El comité de xMinds sobre el alcance del idioma español está organizando un grupo de discusión en línea mensual en español para los padres de un estudiante autista del condado de Montgomery. Regístrese aquí.
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Saturday, November 9, 1–4:00 p.m.
Annual IEP Clinic In-person event offering free IEP consults with a professional advocate, a presentation about how to prep for an IEP meeting, and local resource tables. Register here. Community Calendar Our community calendar is FULL of great offerings not only from xMinds, but from professional service providers located in Montgomery County. Check out the programs and events posted on our Events Calendar.
Note: Our Events Calendar shows events on their start date, but some community programs require you to apply before the start date, so please look ahead! |
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Please consider donating to xMinds. We offer all our resources to families and educators at no cost to ensure they are accessible to everyone who needs them. Your support is essential in helping us continue this work. Every contribution makes a difference!
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