Autism & Special-Education Advocacy · School Placement · DC · Maryland · Virginia

You would do anything for your child. We help you do the things that actually work.

A New Story helps DMV families of children with autism and learning differences win the services they're owed — and find the right school. Built by a parent who has lived it. Start with a free, no-pressure call.

Find your child's path → Talk to someone who gets it

This is our hands-on, in-the-room service for DC, Maryland & Virginia. Live somewhere else? Get your IEP reviewed by an expert — anywhere, $350 →

Start here — what brings you tonight?
DCMontgomeryPrince George'sFairfaxArlingtonLoudoun ★ We never take a dollar from any school
Why we exist

Take the veil down. You can do this.

Special education is buried under jargon and fear — and it can quietly bankrupt a good family, one therapist at a time. It doesn't have to. So much of what your child's therapists do, you can learn to do at home, for free. You have the ability. We'll put the tools in your hands.

Explore the free Tools & Techniques guide →
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Not sure what's even going on with your child?
Answer a few simple questions and get a clear, printable summary to bring to your doctor or your child's school. Free. Not a diagnosis — the head start we wish we'd had.
Start the free tool →
How we help

We do the homework. You walk in ready.

The heavy lifting is reading, research, and writing — and that's the part we do for you. We turn a confusing stack of documents into a clear plan, the exact rights to invoke, and the letters and scripts ready to use. You stay in the driver's seat for your child; we make sure you're never walking in unprepared.

1

Free triage call

20 honest minutes. Do you have a case? What's the realistic path? No pressure, no jargon — and we'll tell you if you don't need us.

Free
2

IEP & records audit

Send us the IEP and evaluations. You get a plain-English report on exactly where the school is falling short, what to ask for, and the letters ready to send.

Flat fee · from $450
3

Meeting game plan

We build your strategy and a word-for-word script, then walk you through it on a call — so you can walk into that meeting prepared and confident.

Flat fee · from $850
4

Beside you for the meeting

For the meetings that truly matter — your child's annual IEP meeting, plus a follow-up if needed — we join by video and connect you with a vetted local advocate to stand beside you in the room. Limited spots so every family gets our full attention.

Flat fee · from $1,500

Clear, flat pricing — you'll always know the cost before we begin, and we'll never recommend a service you don't need. Need-based and reduced-fee spots are available for families who can't pay full rates; just ask. For school placement, we give you honest intelligence and direction and prepare the funding case — you tour and choose the school. If a case needs courtroom litigation, we'll connect you with a trusted special-education attorney.

It's called a spectrum for a reason. Wherever your child falls, we have answers.

Nonverbal or never stops talking. Just diagnosed or years into the fight. Pick what's going on — real names, real schools, real next steps. Free.

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Autism
Across the whole spectrum
See answers →
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Dyslexia & reading
When reading is a battle
See answers →
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ADHD & focus
Attention & organization
See answers →
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Anxiety & big feelings
Worry, sadness, behavior
See answers →
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Speech & language
Talking & communicating
See answers →
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Twice-exceptional
Gifted and struggling
See answers →
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Complex needs
Significant support
See answers →
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Not sure what's going on?
Answer a few questions, get a summary for your doctor
Start the guided tool →
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Tools for your child
Proven apps to use today
See the tools →
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Letters & scripts
The exact words to ask for help
Get the templates →
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The IEP glossary
Every acronym, in plain English
Decode it →

Not sure where your child fits? Just tell us about them →

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Anywhere in the U.S. — we've got you.
Wherever you live, we review your child's IEP, research the best options near you, and help you find and vet the right local advocate. Expert help, in all 50 states.
See how →
We know exactly where you are

It's terrifying. You don't know the rules, so you question everything.

You pour money into experts. You do everything you can — and then more — because there is nowhere you wouldn't go for your kid. That love is exactly what some people take advantage of. We built A New Story to be the opposite: real answers, honest options, and someone who has actually sat in that meeting standing beside you.

And before anything else: you're a good parent. The fact that you're here, looking for answers, is the proof.

And your child is not broken — there is nothing in them that needs to be "fixed." They are a whole, remarkable person: a mind that works differently, real gifts the world needs, and a future that is theirs to change. Our work is to help the world see that — and to get your child everything they need to become exactly who they already are.

01 — Answers

You stop guessing.

Plain-English answers for your exact county and your exact situation. No jargon, no runaround.

02 — Assurance

You stop fighting alone.

Someone who knows the law and has lived this process prepares your case with you — and, for the meetings that matter, joins by video and connects you with a vetted local advocate in the room.

03 — Hope

You see a real path.

Honest direction on schools your child could thrive in, the services they're owed, and how funding actually works.

There is a way through this. And you don't have to walk it alone.

Everything on this site is yours — free. Read it, use it, take whatever helps. And when you're ready for someone in your corner who has lived this exact road, we're right here. Start with one honest, no-pressure conversation. If it turns out you don't even need us, we'll tell you that too.

Start a free, honest conversation → See how we help →
Real situations, every day

These are the fights families are facing right now.

Real grievances. Real kids. Real stakes. This is the kind of thing we help with — and what becomes possible when someone who knows the system is finally on your side.

3
jurisdictions we know cold — DC, Maryland & Virginia
$40k+
typical yearly value of a funded school placement
805
DC due-process complaints per 10,000 — the nation's highest
$0
we ever take from a school — we work only for families
Montgomery County

"They said he was fine. He wasn't."

A 3rd grader with dyslexia getting "passing grades" but reading two years behind. The legal standard is meaningful progress — not passing.

→ When a child is failing quietly, a county can be required to fund real, specialized instruction.
Washington, DC

"Their IEP hasn't changed in two years."

An autistic child whose goals were copied forward year after year while he stood still. An independent evaluation surfaces the needs the school keeps missing.

→ A stalled plan can be reopened and rebuilt — often through an evaluation at public expense.
Fairfax, VA

"We're paying for the school they should be funding."

A family draining savings on the private placement their child actually needs — when the district may be legally required to pay for it.

→ The right placement can be funded by the district — worth $40,000–$100,000+ a year.
A mother and her young son sharing a tender, quiet moment at home A young girl reading happily by a bright window A father and child walking hand in hand toward the future

These are real situations families across the DMV face every day — the kind we help with. Every child's case is different, and we'll always tell you honestly what we think is realistically possible for yours.

The honest version

Tell us about your child. We'll show you real options.

No email required. These are actual DMV schools and programs that fit your child — and the honest reasons why. A starting point for a real conversation, not a sales list.

Your child

Fill in your child's details and we'll show you the DMV schools and programs that genuinely fit — and exactly why.

School intelligence — not a directory

Know the schools before you ever tour one.

Honest profiles of the DMV's special-education schools — who they actually serve, what ages, and whether your county can be made to pay for it.

We are paid by families, never by schools. No school can pay to appear here or rank higher. Ever.

You don't always need a private school — these public programs have earned a real reputation.

⚠ Please read first: This is based on past research, not a live review, and may already be out of date. Public programs change fast — a great teacher leaves, a director or budget shifts, and quality varies building-to-building. Treat this as a starting point for your own homework: always tour the actual school, meet the current staff, and judge the fit for your child this year. Never a guarantee.

Fairfax County (FCPS)

Long regarded as one of the region's strongest public systems for autism — ABA-based classrooms, evidence-based curricula, and complex-needs sites. Quality varies by school — verify the specific site.

Montgomery County (MCPS)

Broad, well-regarded specialized programs — the CAPP autism preschool, ABA autism services, and a network of learning centers. Placement is needs-based — tour the actual program offered.

Arlington (APS)

An autism program parents have genuinely praised — autism-trained staff and an active parent community (Arlington SEPTA). Sentiment shifts year to year — talk to current families.

DCPS — River Terrace

DC's purpose-built campus for the most complex and medically involved needs, with sensory- and medical-support staffing. A specialized setting — confirm fit and capacity.

We kept this short — only programs that have genuinely stood out, not a full directory. A program's absence here means nothing. The right placement is the one that fits your child, in the building you actually visit, with the team that's there now. That's the homework we're glad to help with.

Free first — always

The free help that exists.

Before you pay anyone, know your free options. These are federally funded parent centers that help DMV families at no cost — with a real website and a real phone number, right here. We'll tell you honestly when free help is all you need.

And don't miss our biggest free resource: the Tools & Techniques guide — what your therapist is really doing, and how to do so much of it yourself at home.

Advocates for Justice & Education (AJE)

Washington, DC · free parent training & advocacy
aje-dc.org (202) 678-8060

The Parents' Place of Maryland

Maryland · the state's parent training & info center
ppmd.org (410) 768-9100

PEATC

Virginia · Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center
peatc.org (703) 923-0010 (800) 869-6782

xMinds (Partnership for Extraordinary Minds)

Montgomery County, MD · free guidance for autism families
xminds.org (301) 444-5225
Straight answers

The questions that keep you up at night. Answered straight.

No jargon, no runaround — just honest answers from someone who has been exactly where you are.

Why A New Story exists

Every family deserves a new story. I'd be honored to help you begin yours.

"These kids aren't broken. They're beautiful. The differences aren't flaws in the story — they're what make it beautiful."

I'm a dad here in the DMV with two kids who learn differently — one on the autism spectrum, one with dyslexia. I didn't come to this work from a textbook. I came to it the way you probably did: scared, in over my head, and desperate to get it right for my kid.

I remember sitting in meetings where everyone spoke a language I didn't understand, nodding along to decisions about my own child because I didn't know I was allowed to push back. I remember the late nights googling acronyms, the private evaluations that cost more than our car payment, and the quiet fear that if I got it wrong, my child would pay for it for years.

My wife and I also learned how terrifying and lonely this road can be — and how many people see a frightened parent and treat it as an opportunity. We came out the other side knowing two things: families need real answers, in plain English, and they need someone honest standing beside them who has actually been in that chair.

That's the whole reason A New Story exists. Not to sell you the world — just to help your child get the support they're truly owed, and help your family stop feeling so alone in it. If you're where I was, I'd be genuinely honored to help. Everyone deserves to feel seen. Everyone deserves a new story.

— Founder, A New Story

Your child's next chapter starts with one honest conversation.

The first call is free, and there is never any pressure. Just answers, and a clear sense of what's possible. Tell us a little and we'll reach out within one business day.

1 You fill out the short form below — in your own words.
2 A real person — a parent who's been there — reads it and replies within one business day.
3 A free, no-pressure call to figure out your honest next step.

Free & confidential. We'll never share your information, and there's no obligation.