INCLUSIVE FAMILY RESOURCES
General Disability RESOURCES
ADVOCACY AUTISM SOCIETY OF NORTHERN
VIRGINIA asnv.org
571-328-5792 10467 White Granite Drive, #324
Oakton, VA 22124
For more than 50 years, the Autism Society of
Northern Virginia has led the way, advocating
at the local, state and national levels to improve
the quality of life for those in the disability
community. DREAMS FOR KIDS DC
dreamsforkidsdc.org Dreams for Kids DC, a nonprofit children’s charity,
provides life-changing activities that empower
children with physical and developmental
disabilities to unite with their peers and realize
their potential. Dreams for Kids DC provides life-
changing experiences to more than 800 children
with these disabilities for free while serving
residents of Washington, Maryland and Virginia.

LEGAL RESOURCES
SHEFTER LAW, PA.

shefterlaw.com 301-605-7303
110 N. Washington St., Suite 350
Rockville, MD 20850
Frances Shefter is an education attorney and
advocate committed to helping clients have
a Stress-Free IEP experience. Shefter Law,
P.A. serves families of children with special
needs. Employing her education background
to IEP matters, Shefter offers strategy sessions,
mediation services and due process responses.

medical providers and more.

THE STEEDMAN LAW GROUP
steedmanlaw.net admin@steedmanlaw.net
410-645-0625 260 Gateway Drive, Suite 11-12B
Bel Air, MD 21014
Experienced, compassionate, and effective legal
representation and advocacy for children and
adults with special needs.

FORMED FAMILIES FORWARD
formedfamiliesforward.org 703-539-2904
4031 University Drive, Suite 100
Fairfax, VA 22030
Formed Families Forward is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to supporting foster,
kinship and adoptive families of children and
youth with disabilities and other special needs.

The organization serves families, educators
and child welfare professionals in the Northern
Virginia region. The organization improves the
developmental, educational, social, emotional and
post-secondary outcomes for children and youth
with disabilities and other needs.

FAMILY SUPPORT & TRAINING
AUTISM SPEAKS
autismspeaks.org help@autismspeaks.org
888-AUTISM2 The Autism Speaks Response Team (ART) is
an information line for the autism community.

Team members are specially trained to provide
personalized information and resources to people
with autism and their families.

CARE CONNECTION FOR CHILDREN
inova.org/about-inova/inova-your- community/community-access-care/care-
connection-children 703-698-2450
2700 Prosperity Ave., #295
Fairfax, VA 22031
Care Connection for Children is part of the Virginia
Department of Health’s statewide network of
excellence serving children and youth with
disabilities. Their family-centered services
help families apply for community programs
and resources, communicate with schools and
FITNESS FESTIVAL
October 23 from 1 - 4 pm
10417-B Kensington Parkway, Kensington, MD 20895
Proceeds benefit Spirit Club Foundation's
mission to make fitness accessible for
people with disabilities
www.spiritclubfoundation.org https://www.spiritclubfoundation.org/become-a-sponsor
Fitness activities,
music, raffles
and awards!
MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK
marylandfamilynetwork.org 410-659-7701
1001 Eastern Ave., Second Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
Formed in 2009 from the merger of two
leading nonprofit organizations—the Maryland
Committee for Children and Friends of the
Family, the Maryland Family Network operates
a statewide network of Family Support Centers
that help hundreds of families with infants and
toddlers to become stronger and self-sufficient.

The organization’s Child Care Resource Centers
offer state-of-the-art training, mentoring,
coaching and other supports to Maryland’s
dedicated child care workforce. Maryland Family
Network’s LOCATE Child Care Special Needs
Service is a free service available to any family
who has a child with an IEP or an IFSP from birth
through age 21.

PATHWAYS EDUCATIONAL
CONSULTING pathwayseducationalconsulting.com/
educational-consultant-montgomery-county- md-educational-advocate-montgomery-
county-md 301-926-1081
Pathways Educational Consulting is an academic
advisory service that helps parents navigate the
public school system of Montgomery County,
Maryland. The organization works with parents of students
with learning disabilities and mental health
challenges to connect them to the services
their children need to put them on the path to
educational success. Founder Janet Lee works
with parents to prepare them for Montgomery
County Public Schools meetings and assists at
these meetings to secure accommodations and,
when necessary, appropriate school placements.

SPEECH THERAPISTS
DISTRICT SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
THERAPY districtspeech.com
202-579-4448 1300 I St. N.W. #400E, Washington, D.C. 20005
District Speech offers support for many areas
of speech difficulty including early intervention,
transgender vocal training, stutter avoidance
and reduction, orofacial myofunctional disorders,
reading and learning impairments, and support
for children with cleft lip & palate.

CAPITOL KIDS SPEECH THERAPY
capitolkidstherapy.com 202-544-5469
201 Massachusetts Ave. NE C-9, Washington,
D.C. 200002
Capitol Kids Therapy offers comprehensive
evaluations to assess speech and language
32 Washington FAMILY OCTOBER 2022
strengths and weaknesses. Their treatment
services include individual therapy sessions,
co-treatment sessions, group sessions, feeding
therapy, classroom observation, in-services as
well as camp and summer groups.

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
SENSATIONAL KIDS THERAPY
sensationalkids-therapy.com 202-244-8089
2113, 4400 Jennifer St. NW #280, Washington,
D.C. 20015
Sensational Kids Therapy is prepared to support a
wide range of children with disabilities. They offer
occupational therapy, individual physical therapy,
a comprehensive evaluation and consultations.

DINOSAUR PHYSICAL THERAPY
dinopt.com 202-999-0908
5185 MacArthur Blvd. #220, Washington,
D.C. 20016
Dinosaur physical therapy offers formal
evaluations, informal assessments, individual
treatment sessions, comprehensive home
exercise programs and family training. They are
prepared to address concerns about your child’s
gross motor skills, developmental milestones,
strength, balance, coordination, motor planning,
gait pattern and endurance.

TBI RESOURCES
MEDSTAR NATIONAL
REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
medstarhealth.org 202-877-1000
102 Irving St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20010
As the region’s largest acute rehabilitation
hospital, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital
they are able to provide care for a variety of brain
Injuries. Their brain injury rehabilitation program
includes physical, occupational and speech
therapy. Their team includes a neuropsychologist
and a neuro optometrist. They also have
opportunities for clinical trials.

GEORGE WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION
CENTER gwhospital.com
202-715-5655 2131 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
The George Washington University Hospital
Outpatient Rehab Center offers physical,
occupational and speech therapies. Their
recently-expanded facility has been upgraded
with technology to support recovery from
disabling injuries and illnesses, including brain
injuries.




BOOK MARKED
Frights for Your Bookshelf
9 Halloween Tales for October
BY ERIKA KERR AND JOANNA HARRIS, DC PUBLIC LIBRARY
No matter what reading level you are, the library has a book
to get you in the Halloween spirit. Check out our recommendations
for some spooky, or not-so-spooky, reads.

PICTURE BOOKS
“Frankenstein Doesn’t Wear
Earmuffs!” by John Loren
On a stormy Halloween night, a young boy
struggles to keep his costume scary while
his parents keep him warm and dry. Perfect
for family read-aloud, this hilarious and
heartwarming book is a good reminder that
bad weather can’t dampen Halloween spirit.

“The Ghosts Went Floating”
by Kim Norman
A lightly spooky twist on a classic song, this
book will have toddlers and preschoolers
marching and singing along while building
early math concepts.

EARLY READERS
“Chicken on a Broom”
by Adam Lehrhaupt
When a friend’s mask goes missing in the
haunted barn just before the Halloween
party, can Zoey the Chicken show her pals
that there’s nothing to be afraid of? This
book is perfect for younger kids who are
starting to read on their own and might not
be ready for scarier stories.

“Battle of the Bad-Breath Bats”
by David Bowles
Three cousins accidentally step onto 13th
Street, a mysterious other world filled with
creepy beasts! Will they manage to get back
home? Filled with fun art, progress markers
and encouraging affirmations, books in this
series are designed to smooth the transition
to chapter books.

MIDDLE GRADE
“The Graveyard Book”
by Neil Gaiman
Left in a graveyard when he was a baby,
Nobody “Bod” Owens is being raised by
ghosts. Through a series of tales, we see
Bod grow up and encounter spirits and
supernatural beings, both fearful and
friendly. But maybe none of these are
as scary as his first day at school. Bod’s
adventures cover a lot of supernatural
territory and have as much charm as
they do chills.

“Jumbies” by Tracey Baptiste
Corinne never believed stories about the
“jumbies”, monsters that live in the woods.

Then, one fateful Hallow’s Eve she runs into
the woods and does not come back alone. A
gripping tale based on Haitian folklore for
an adventure-seeking reader who doesn’t
mind a scare or two.

YOUNG ADULT
“White Smoke”
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Mari is set on forgetting her past when
her family moves into an old house in
a rundown town. Strange things begin
happening around the house, but no one
believes her because of her past mistakes
and her neurodivergence. A thriller
that combines classic haunted house
elements with the equally chilling issues of
gentrification and systemic racism.

“Through the Woods”
by Emily Carroll
Two brothers go into the woods, but only
one comes back. A girl moves in with her
brother and his fiancé, but something
isn’t quite right. Three sisters are visited
by a man in a wide-brimmed hat. No one
wields the power of suggestion quite like
Emily Carroll, though there are several
fantastically scary images in this graphic
novel of short, creepy tales.

“Hell Followed With Us”
by Andrew Joseph White:
Teenage trans boy Benji finds shelter from
the apocalypse with the survivors from an
LGBT Youth Center. Their leader Nick,
who is autistic, knows the truth: Benji is
an escapee of the cult that unleashed the
bioweapon now devastating humanity;
the bioweapon that’s mutating Benji
from within. An escatalogical nightmare
of a story, contrasted by the resiliency of
queer youth. P
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