No one should have to walk this road alone.
These resources grew directly out of the pages of Finally an IEP for Me! Every organization, book, app, and tool listed here is referenced somewhere in the manuscript — because I encountered it, used it, or found it worthy of sharing with the mothers who are walking this road alongside me.
I’ve organized them around four stages of the journey, so you can go straight to where you are right now rather than reading from beginning to end.
This list is updated regularly — because a printed list goes out of date, and you deserve current information. If you find a broken link, let me know at doreenfulton@believeinarayofhope.com.
I am not affiliated with any organization listed here unless I say so explicitly, and I receive no compensation for recommending any of them.
Doreen’s Favorite Starting Places
If you only have ten minutes today — start here.
Get a Free Reset Guide
Why it’s here:
This is the very first tool I give every mother I meet.
Why it’s here:
The Five Villagers framework — Knower, Witness, Doer, Dreamer, Restorer — is the first thing I teach in every talk.
Why it’s here:
This is the document every caregiving parent needs and almost none of us have.
Not Sure Where to Start?
My child was just diagnosed, or I suspect something.
🌱 Just Beginning
“We’re just starting this journey.”
I’m deep in IEP meetings, therapies, and the daily grind.
🌿 Finding Your Voice
“Learning to advocate with confidence.”
For Every Stage — Mental Health and Crisis Support
You do not have to be suicidal to call. You only have to be struggling.
🌱 Just Beginning
“We’re just starting this journey.”
📄 Download the Reset Guide
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Why I recommend it: this is the exact tool I wish someone had handed me in my first year.
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🌿 Help Me Grow Network — helpmegrownetwork.org
🌿 CDC Learn the Signs. Act Early. — cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly
🌿 M-CHAT-R/F — m-chat.org
🌿 ASQ — agesandstages.com
🌿 Child Find — Under IDEA — call your local school district
🌿 Virginia Early Intervention Program — infantva.org — 1-800-234-1448
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🌿 The Arc — thearc.org
🌿 The Arc of Northern Virginia — thearcofnova.org — 703-208-1119 — Why I recommend it: This is where our own family found real footing.
🌿 Wrightslaw — wrightslaw.com — Why I recommend it: I kept Wrightslaw open on my computer during many of Robert’s IEP meetings.
🌿 PACER Center — pacer.org
🌿 Family Voices — familyvoices.org
🌿 Special Needs Alliance — specialneedsalliance.org
🌿 Autism Society of America — autism-society.org
🌿 Autism Science Foundation — autismsciencefoundation.org
🌿 Mommies of Miracles — mommiesofmiracles.com
🌿 Finding Your Voice
“Learning to advocate with confidence.”
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Finding Your Voice, A Simple Advocacy Checklist for Moms — A practical checklist for finding confidence to advocate, one small step at a time
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📖 Read my blog post on the Glass Child
🌿 Alicia Meneses Maples — Glass Children TEDx Talk
🌿 Sibling Support Project — siblingsupport.org
🌿 Sibshops — siblingsupport.org/sibshops
🌿 Sibling Leadership Network — siblingleadership.org
🌿 Seizing Hope — seizinghope.com
🌿 Sam Horn — Talking on Eggshells — amazon.com/dp/1608688496 — Why I recommend it: Chapter 20 gave me language for a conversation I didn’t know how to start.
🌿 Psychology Today — Find a Therapist — psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
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🌿 Jodee Blanco — jodeeblanco.com
🌿 Stay Safe Online — staysafeonline.org
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🌿 The Dani Plan — Safety ID — daniplan.com — Why I recommend it: I used the Dani Plan to build Robert’s Letter of Intent; this same platform offers a wearable QR code for emergencies. Use code 25HOPE for 25% off an annual plan.* (add QR code image here too)*
🌿 NCMEC — Project KidCare — missingkids.org
🌿 National Autism Association — Big Red Safety Box — nationalautismassociation.org/resources/big-red-safety-box
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🌿 AXYS — aaksis.org — Why I recommend it: Robert has Klinefelter Syndrome. It occurred by chance — not caused by anything you did.
🌿 KS&A — genetic.org
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🌿 The Arc of Northern Virginia’s Transition POINTS — thearcofnova.org
🌿 Virginia DARS — dars.virginia.gov
🌿 Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center — PERT Program — wwrc.virginia.gov
🌿 Arc2Independence — thearcofnova.org
🌿 Virginia’s Three DD Waivers — dbhds.virginia.gov
🌿 National Guardianship Association — guardianship.org
🌿 Virginia Supported Decision-Making — vaboard.org
🌿 Self-Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania — sdhp.org
🌿 PEATC — peatc.org
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🌿 The Dani Plan — daniplan.com — Use code 25HOPE for 25% off an annual plan.
🌿 ABLE National Resource Center — ablenrc.org
🌿 Special Needs Alliance — Estate Planning — specialneedsalliance.org/find-an-attorney
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🌿 Inclusion International — inclusion-international.org
🌿 International Disability Alliance — internationaldisabilityalliance.org
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🌿 The Tapping Solution App — thetappingsolution.com
🌿 Rewired — amazon.com/dp/B0FWR7TRJF
🌿 Brad Yates — EFT Tapping on YouTube — youtube.com/@tapwithbrad
🌿 The Tapping Solution Planner — thetappingsolution.com
🌿 Louise Hay — Morning and Evening Meditations — youtube.com/watch?v=4jNV1FV-_Os
🌿 You Can Heal Your Life — amazon.com/dp/0937611018
🌿 The Artist’s Way — juliacameronlive.com
🌿 Insight Timer — insighttimer.com
🌿 ARCH National Respite Network — archrespite.org
🌿 The Mental Health Contagion — Yvette Murray — amazon.com/dp/1493090941
One Final Resource: You
However long you have been on this road — whether you received this diagnosis last week or have been walking this path for decades — you are already becoming the world’s foremost expert on your child. Trust what you know. Build your village. Become your own best advocate. And remember: you do not have to find the next step alone.
With gratitude and a Ray of Hope,
Doreen G. Fulton
believeinarayofhope.com | doreenfulton@believeinarayofhope.com
This resource list is updated regularly. Last updated August 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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A platform supporting caregiving mothers of young adults with developmental disabilities through practical resources, speaking, and a forthcoming book — built on the belief that mothers who have spent years advocating for their children deserve support too.
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Caregiving mothers of young adults with developmental disabilities, though many of the tools, reflections, and resources here speak to any caregiver, sibling, or family member walking a similar road.
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Hope + Action = Belief. Belief + Action = Trust. Trust + Expectation = Miracles. A practical framework, inspired by my father Raymond Gray, for turning hope into something you do — not just something you feel.
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A six-section personal plan for the mother herself — the same structured thinking caregiving mothers already use to advocate for their child, turned inward to advocate for themselves.
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Your Knower, your Witness, your Doer, your Dreamer, your Restorer — five specific kinds of people who show up in five specific ways to help build the support system every caregiving family needs before a crisis forces the question.
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A term for the sibling of a child with significant needs — often overlooked because they seem to need less, when in fact they are quietly absorbing a great deal. Resources for Glass Children and their families are available on the Resources page.
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Not yet. Finally an IEP for Me! is currently in developmental edit, with a publishing submission targeted for early 2027. Visit the Book page to follow along, or reach out to share what you're hoping to find in it.
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You can request it from the Homepage, the Resources page, or the Speaking page — just enter your name and email, and it will arrive in your inbox within a few minutes.
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Visit the Speaking page for available topics and formats, or reach out directly through the Contact page with your event details.