Introducing the xMinds Pop-Up Sensory Lounge! Learn how we are partnering with local PTSAs to make school events genuinely inclusive for neurodivergent students — and how to bring it to your school. |
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It’s Time to Bike to the Beach FUNDRAISER CROSSES THE BAY JUNE 19 |
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You’ve
trained, you’ve reached out to friends and family, or you’ve personally
made a donation. Whatever your method of supporting the xMinds team
for Bike to the Beach, the race is almost here.
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Team xMinds after a training ride |
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The big event takes place this Friday, June 19. We are thrilled to report that we are incredibly close to our $55,000 goal, having raised $53,478 at press time! We would love your help with one final push to cross the finish line. Support xMinds by donating here. Your contributions directly fund all of xMinds’ vital work to improve education for autistic children in Montgomery County.
Find out more about this fundraiser on the xMinds website, where we spell out all the details about this fun and important event. |
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Located in Boyds, MD, Cultivate Rehabilitation Services is a therapist-owned private practice that offers occupational therapy services in various settings, including nature-based therapy, hippotherapy, and home- and clinic-based therapy. Hippotherapy is a treatment tool utilized by OT, PT, and Speech Therapists. The therapist controls and modifies equine movement to engage sensory, motor and cognitive systems. Horses provide the client with sensory rich experience.
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Monica Martinez is a special education advocate working with Montgomery County families. Monica’s areas of expertise are services and accommodations for students on the autism spectrum, as well as those with ADHD and/or co-morbid mental health issues. Monica also works to help parents and guardians understand the educational rights of their children.
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June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month
AUTISM AND GENDER DIVERSITY |
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It's officially June, which means it’s time for rainbows, Pride flags, and parades. You might wonder how this connects to the neurodivergent community, but research shows that autistic individuals are significantly more likely to be gender diverse than the general population. |
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According to a clinical study published in ScienceDirect, this unique correlation runs both ways. The researchers noted that gender-diverse individuals frequently show elevated autistic traits, while autistic individuals are also much more likely to identify outside of conventional gender norms. In fact, the statistical overlap is staggering. While exact estimates vary across clinical literature, data highlighted by Autism Spectrum News suggests that autistic individuals are anywhere from seven times more likely to be gender diverse than their allistic (non-autistic) peers. This high rate of co-occurrence has led many within the community to use the beautifully overlapping term “neuro-gender queer.”
Recognizing this deeply rooted connection is the first step toward creating truly inclusive spaces for our youth. Writing for Reframing Autism last year, Anna Cristina, the director of The Autistic Realm Australia, emphasized the validity of this crossover. “The link between gender diversity and Autism is strong, it’s valid, it’s well evidenced. It’s been researched for over ten years now,” Cristina explained. “Autistic people do gender differently.”
To help families navigate this unique intersection, Cristina shared 10 practical, real-world strategies specifically designed for parenting neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ young people. Most importantly, listen to your child, believe them, and love them unconditionally. But why is this link so prevalent? Researchers writing for Psychology Today suggest a beautifully liberating reason: because autistic individuals often experience a natural detachment from rigid, neurotypical social conditioning, they carry less anxiety about conforming to conventional peer expectations. Ultimately, this independent mindset leaves them uniquely free to be true to themselves. |
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xMinds Summer Playground Meetups
FUN FOR PRESCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY FAMILIES |
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Looking for your village? Come hang out with xMinds! Raising an autistic child comes with a unique set of joys and challenges, and sometimes you just need to talk to people who truly get it.
While the kids play in a safe, fully enclosed space, xMinds staff and other seasoned parents will be on hand to swap IEP tips, share resource recommendations, or just chat. |
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We’re meeting Saturday, July 18, 10-11:30 a.m. at the playground behind Ivymount School, 11614 Seven Locks Rd., Rockville, MD. We’ll supply the ice water, snacks, and sunscreen – you just bring yourself and the kids! No cost, no registration required, just show up! (Want severe weather alerts? Sign up here for email reminders.) And mark your calendars for future summer meetups: [Note that we are returning to Saturday mornings for the rest of the summer.]
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August 15, 10-11:30 a.m. (Saturday)
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September 19, 10-11:30 a.m. (Saturday)
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Policy Update: MCPS Budget Vote
WHERE WILL FAMILIES FEEL THE CUTS? |
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MCPS recently approved its FY27 budget, which includes millions of dollars in reductions affecting special education, student personnel services, transportation, and other support functions. At the same time, individual schools are being asked to support increasingly diverse learner needs within general education settings. While district leaders have emphasized that direct special education services remain protected, families of students with disabilities should pay close attention to how these budget decisions intersect with MCPS’ ongoing, five-year strategic plan: the Future Ready Initiative. This initiative is designed to increase access to inclusive educational environments for more students — doing so by serving students with a wider range of disabilities in their home schools and general education classrooms. The concern many families share is not the goal of inclusion itself, but whether local schools will be given the resources, training, and staffing necessary to make inclusion successful at a time when MCPS is cutting special education positions and reducing overall spending for special education services. |
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Join Our Monthly Parent Discussion Groups
SHARE STRATEGIES WITH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE |
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We’ve come to the end of the school year, but certainly not the end of parenting questions and dilemmas! Never fear: xMinds discussion groups will be here for you all summer long. Save the dates for the summer sessions of our virtual, drop-in discussion groups tailored for parents and caregivers of MoCo autistic students. |
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These targeted groups provide a great opportunity to connect with others who have shared interests and concerns. Discussion groups are always free and operate on a casual, drop-in basis. If you haven’t had a chance to try out a group during the school year, this summer could be the perfect opportunity! The summer schedule is below. Register just once to receive your Zoom link – which stays the same each month, so hang on to it. Our Active Summer Groups: Small Steps Together. For parents/caregivers of an autistic elementary or preschool child. Next meetings will be June 22, July 27, August 24 Register here.
Let’s Talk Transitions. For parents/caregivers of an autistic child in middle or high school, approaching the transition to adulthood. Next meetings will be June 24, July 22, August 26. Register here. Hablemos Educación Especial. Grupo de discusión mensual en línea en español para los padres/cuidadores de un estudiante autista. De vacaciones de verano. Regístrese aquí.
People of the Global Majority. For parents/caregivers of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students. Next meeting will be July 6. Register here. Lunchtime Reboot: Relax, unwind and learn some methods to beat the stress of parenting. Off for the summer Next meeting will be September 7. Monthly topic: Navigating School and Services Without Burning Out Register here. |
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Enjoy a Good Laugh With xMinds!
GIVE A HOOT COMEDY CLUB HOSTS XMINDS BENEFIT ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 |
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Baltimore native Jared Stern will headline an xMinds fundraiser this August! Bring your whole family for a night of hilarious comedy, and enjoy a full-service Mexican dinner while you’re at it (Give a Hoot is located at 16143 Shady Grove Rd, Gaithersburg MD 20877, inside La Mexicana restaurant, so food and drink is available for purchase). Doors open at 7 p.m. and parking is free. |
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Jared Stern has been making complete strangers laugh for over 20 years. He was voted the Best Comedian in D.C. by Washington City Paper readers in 2013, 2023, and 2024. You may know him from his comedy special, A Couple Of Characters on Prime Video and Apple TV+, or his podcast Between Two Sterns. His new album, Live On Broadway*, is available on all digital platforms. |
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Seating is strictly limited to 80 guests and Give a Hoot often sells out! Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, if available. Purchase tickets here! |
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Spring Educator Grants
LEARN ABOUT THIS YEAR’S GRANTEES |
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As you might know, xMinds offers targeted grants to help motivated educators pursue research-based trainings, specialized curricula, and classroom materials that will enable them to better support their autistic students. For the 2025–26 school year, xMinds has distributed more than $13,000 to more than 130 educators, directly impacting the daily lives of more than 2,200 autistic students in Montgomery County. |
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The
chosen teachers used their funds to purchase a sophisticated range of
materials, moving beyond basic supplies to high-utility items like noise-canceling headphones, calming tents, fidgets, and problem-solving puzzles designed to build critical thinking. Read about our inspiring past grant recipients here.
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In Case You Missed it: xMinds Event Highlights
TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD CLINIC |
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Thank you to our consultants: Loleta Dixon, Veronica Lawrence, Erin Ashinghurst, Lisa Lorraine, David Mervis, Esq, Sharon Nickolaus, Meghan Smallwood, Carly Fratangelo, Patricia Cochrane, Diane Flood, Margie Parrott, Javier Andrés Colón Volgamore, and Sherwood Schaffernoth. |
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xMinds and the Autism Society of Maryland (AUSOM) hosted our second annual Transition to Adulthood Clinic, where 60 local families received FREE professional guidance and connected with community service providers. New this year was a dedicated, hands-on applications workroom staffed by AUSOM experts to help parents fill out complex paperwork in real-time. |
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Thank you to all who attended, and especially to our consultants and community partners. Our keynote speaker Eric Jorgensen, Founder, Special Needs Navigator, gave two highly informative presentations detailing how to navigate state and federal disability benefits such as DORS, DDA and SSI.
If you missed these sessions, you can review his presentation materials on our Transition to Adulthood resource page or on our Youtube channel. |
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Eric Jorgensen, CFP Disability Planning Expert |
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ANNUAL SELF ADVOCATES PANEL |
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The theme for this year’s Annual Autistic Self-Advocates Panel was The Freedom to Be: A Panel on Autistic Masking and Community Acceptance. Held virtually on June 9, The panel focused heavily on self-regulation, avoiding autistic burnout, and discovering the accommodations and supports that help autistic people thrive authentically. The event was wonderfully moderated by xMinds Board Member Steven Isaacson, LMSW. This
year’s panel featured a diverse group of autistic young adults who
shared lessons from their real-life experiences, both the successes and
challenges. Did you miss the live webinar? Watch the recordings here in English or in Spanish on the xMinds YouTube channel. |
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Introducing the xMinds Sensory Lounge
PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SCHOOL EVENTS INCLUSIVE |
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School events like dances, festivals, and orientations are staples of the student experience, but the bright lights, loud music, and crowded halls can easily overwhelm neurodivergent students. To bridge the gap, xMinds is thrilled to launch our newest community offering: a traveling, pop-up sensory lounge designed to give students a safe place to regulate so they can enjoy school events alongside their peers. |
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In a first for us, xMinds piloted the nearly 200-square-foot lounge at the Takoma Park Middle School’s 8th grade dance, “To the Moon and Back” on June 12. It served as an incredible learning experience for our team. The space itself was a beautiful haven, featuring soft foam flooring, hanging hammocks and beanbag chairs, curtain lights, a sound machine, noise-canceling headphones, a blackout tent, and an array of tactile objects.
BRING THE POP-UP SENSORY LOUNGE TO YOUR SCHOOL!
While introducing a sensory room requires active collaboration and dedicated chaperones from parents and school staff to keep the environment calm, xMinds handles the heavy lifting. Our team takes care of the complete delivery, setup, and teardown of the room. To set your volunteers and staff up for success, xMinds provides comprehensive operational guidelines and strategic chaperone recommendations based on our pilot. We are incredibly excited about the potential of this new program to make Montgomery County school events genuinely inclusive for autistic and neurodivergent students. Any school administration or parent association in MoCo is welcome to inquire about booking our sensory room. Or if you want a consultation on how to design a sensory space of your own, please reach out! Contact info@xminds.org for more information. |
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Volunteer for the xMinds Consult Team LEARN HOW TO HELP OTHER PARENTS NAVIGATE MCPS |
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Have you successfully learned how to advocate for your autistic child in school? Share your hard-earned wisdom to help other local families! xMinds is seeking new volunteers to join our xMinds Consult Team, which walks parents through the special education and IEP systems in Montgomery County. With supervision from a professional educational advocate, volunteers offer guidance, answer parent questions, and connect families to local resources. No formal advocacy background is required — just your unique experience and a willingness to listen. Volunteers commit about 5–6 hours per month and receive comprehensive, free training. Our next training begins Tuesday, August 4, 7-8 p.m. and runs for five weeks, all online. Ready to make a difference? Learn more and apply here. You can also explore our Volunteer Hub to discover many ways to get involved with xMinds. |
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Thank You, Stacy! LONGTIME BOARD MEMBER CALLS IT A WRAP |
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With deepest gratitude and appreciation, the xMinds board bids farewell to Stacy Ganz Kahn. Stacy, who co-founded the Educational Resources Group of Greater Washington (ERGGW), originally came to us as one of our monthly speakers. Over the years she contributed in many ways: managing our educator grants program when she first started, providing pro bono consulting to xMinds families, serving on the policy advocacy team, and organizing a fun community ice cream social fundraiser. |
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Stacy’s vast experience spanning over two decades as a special education teacher, general education teacher, graduate-level adjunct professor of special education, staff development specialist, and school administrator brought value and enthusiasm to our mission. We wish her the best in her next chapter! |
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Monthly Series: Autistic Voices
PROVIDING A SAFE SPACE FOR WOMEN OF COLOR |
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In this month’s Autistic Voices series, we are highlighting Diane J. Wright, the visionary founder of Autastic®, a website and digital social group offering resources, community offering resources, mutual aid, and fellowship centering adult-identified autistic BIPOC [Black, indigenous and people of color] individuals. |
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Wright is an autistic and ADHD Canadian-American and Afro-Caribbean author, filmmaker, and dedicated disability justice advocate. After discovering she was autistic in her early forties, she set out to intentionally rebuild her life to finally fit her true self — then opened the door for others to do the same. Since 2018, she has worked at the intersection of autism, race, and media representation, working on such media productions as Disney’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Reflecting on her diagnosis journey in a 2025 interview with Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, Diane shared: “I still doubted that I was autistic for years after that, as many of us do. That’s systemic ableism doing its work right there. It was odd, stumbling across my own truth like that, after all the effort I’d put in up to that point. My pattern-seeking brain wouldn’t let it go. And I figured it out from there.” Her Facebook group, Surprise! You’re Autistic!, caters specifically to individuals who discovered their neurodivergence after the age of 28 and has grown to over 13,000 members. Additionally, Autastic® was honored in Newsweek’s March 2026 autism issue as one of the nation’s "Six Most Helpful Organizations." You can follow Diane’s ongoing work on Substack, Instagram and BlueSky. |
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Upcoming xMinds Events
XMINDS CORE EVENTS, RESOURCES & SERVICES ARE ALWAYS FREE
Friday, June 19 Bike to the Beach Ride Support our annual fundraiser from D.C. to Dewey Beach. Find out more Monday, June 22, 7-7:45 p.m.
Small Steps Together
Online discussion group for MoCo parents/guardians of autistic elementary or preschool children. Register here Wednesday, June 24, 7-7:45 p.m.
Let's Talk Transitions
Online discussion group for MoCo parents of autistic students in middle or high school. Register here
Monday, July 6, 7-7:45 p.m.
People of the Global Majority Online discussion group for MoCo parents/guardians of autistic children who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Register here
Saturday, July 18, 10-11:30 p.m.
Playground Meetup
Meet
other elementary and preschool families with autistic children. Join us
for outdoor play at Ivymount School in Rockville, MD. Register here.
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Saturday, August 29, 8 p.m. show (doors open at 7 p.m.)
Give a Hoot Comedy Fundraiser
Comedy night benefitting xMinds.Tickets required. 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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