NIDC Celebrates the First Neurodiversity & Your Child Virtual Cohort

On July 28, NIDC’s Family Support Network (FSN) celebrated an important milestone: the completion of its first Neurodiversity & Your Child Virtual Cohort.

The virtual celebration brought together parents from across New York City to recognize their commitment to learning, connection, and advocacy throughout the cohort. The program reached families across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Bayside, creating opportunities for parents to learn from one another while gaining resources and strategies to better support their children.

As part of the celebration, parents who completed seven or more workshops were recognized with Certificates of Completion and gift cards in appreciation of their dedication to the program. The evening also gave participants an opportunity to reflect on what they had learned and the ways the experience had influenced their families.

One of the most meaningful outcomes shared by parents was that the program helped improve their relationships with their children. Their reflections highlighted the value of creating spaces where parents can ask questions, learn about neurodiversity, share experiences, and build connections with others navigating similar experiences.

The celebration also featured an inspiring presentation from Christy Olsen, who spoke about her experiences as a neurodivergent leader and mother. Her presentation offered participants an opportunity to consider neurodiversity through the lens of leadership, parenting, and lived experience.

Throughout the year, the cohort featured workshops and presentations facilitated by a range of community partners, including Achieve Beyond, PS 103, INCLUDEnyc, S & A Unified Homecare, and the NYC Commission on Human Rights Bronx Office. These collaborations helped connect families with information, resources, and perspectives from organizations serving neurodivergent children and their families.

The celebration concluded a year of learning and connection, while also providing parents with resources to remain connected to NIDC and the Family Support Network.

NIDC is proud to celebrate the parents who made this first cohort possible and grateful to every partner, presenter, and family who contributed to its success. The completion of this cohort marks not an ending, but another step toward building stronger, more informed, and more connected families and communities.