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Middle school is a big transition for any family. For families of neurodivergent kids in Oregon, Washington, and beyond, its something more: a shift in services, expectations, environment, and independence, often all at once. The good news is that none of this has to be navigated blindly. With the right preparation, you can walk into this transition with a plan instead of just hope. Start With What's Already Working with IEPS & Support Before you can figure out what your chi

If you have a neurodivergent child who currently has an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan and covered by special education), you already know that early intervention services can feel like a lifeline. They're often woven so seamlessly into your child's daily life, at home, in childcare, in preschool, that it's easy to forget how much scaffolding is actually there until it's time to move on. And if your child doesn't have an IFSP, maybe you're not even sure what one is

For many families, August means shopping for school supplies, labeling backpacks, and figuring out the morning routine. For families of children with disabilities, medical conditions, or learning differences, back-to-school preparation often looks very different. Instead of simply buying pencils and lunchboxes, you're reviewing accommodations, updating medical paperwork, communicating with school staff, and wondering whether everyone understands what your child needs to be su

What does my work with families look like? By Theresa Jahangir People ask me a lot what my work an a parent advocate in Portland, Oregon actually looks like, and I never quite know how to answer in a neat sentence. Most of the time, it looks like listening closely to families, noticing what isn’t working, and helping them ask for changes that make school feel more doable for their child. Over the last month, I started jotting down examples of accommodations and supports I’v

By Theresa Jahangir, Paulette Selman and Katie Jackson There have been significant shifts in the disability landscape over the past few months, both here in Portland and across the nation. With Diane Wiscarson’s retirement, many in our community are feeling uncertainty about where families will turn for educational advocacy support. And now, with the recent layoffs in the Department of Education impacting the administration of services for students with disabilities, it’s und

by Theresa Jahangir and Ella Smoot Imagine you’re the parent of a 6th grader, Sam, who has just started middle school after a challenging 5th-grade year, where executive functioning skills were already a struggle. Two months into the new school year, your child is failing most of their classes. You notice that missing homework and incomplete classwork make up the majority of the problem. Each afternoon, Sam comes home exhausted—too drained to do much besides unwind on the cou

By Theresa Jahangir, Educational Advocate Bagel, our service dog, enjoying a Mount Hood fishing adventure. This week is Hidden Disability Awareness Week, and I’ve been thinking about sharing an update on our service dog. As I began writing, I realized that much of what I want to say is really about hidden disabilities and what a service dog has brought to our family in that area. On August 8, our child graduated with their service dog, Bagel, at Canine Companions in Santa Ros