Welcome to Coordinating Chaos with Jess! I am Jess! I have been working in some form of the neurodiverse community since 2008. I started out working in a summer camp where I met this amazing child that introduced me to the world of neurodiversity and led me to changing my college major to work as support staff. I worked in two school districts after college in Autism support classrooms and as a behavior technician (formally Therapeutic Support Staff – T.S.S). After I graduated from college a second time with a bachelor’s in human services (Child and Family Welfare), I transitioned to working as a case manager in a group home. Eventually, I ended up in my career as a Service Coordinator and I found a new passion for helping people find services they need.

During COVID, we had the unfortunate experience of trying to navigate the world of diagnosis and services. We knew our two sons were autistic but trying to get them diagnosed was a new hurdle for which I was not prepared. We had waitlists to navigate and zoom evaluations that were impossible with a 20-month-old who could not sit still. I thought that after we got the diagnosis, things would fall into place…but instead, I was handed a sheet of services and told good luck. The “case manager” we were given for our youngest met with us once and told us all services had long waitlists and sent us on our way. Our older son’s diagnosis went a little more smoothly, but we were not given case management services and were told good luck.

I spent all of 2020, 2021 and most of 2022 drowning and trying to find what worked for our kids. I felt isolated and alone and was met with constant roadblocks and barriers for the services they needed. I spent hours crying to therapists, receptionists, and anyone else in the field who would listen, begging for support and help. In February 2022, we finally caught a break and found a doctor who helped us go from drowning to thriving.

That doctor helped me realize that all families needed someone to help them go from drowning to thriving. I have spent the last 5 years navigating the system as a mother and have firsthand experience of how the school system works. This led me to starting a blog in 2022, posting my tips and tricks to surviving parenthood as a neurodiverse family. I started working with other families trying to help them find services in their states and walking them through problem solving when new obstacles arose.

In 2024, I realized I wanted to help more families and create a community and resources for any family struggling to survive a new diagnosis or struggling to find their team. I am here to help find services, provide support, and help you advocate for your children. Because once you have a diagnosis, a new world of obstacles arises, and no family or parent should have to navigate it alone. I am also here to help neurodiverse adults navigate the world with extraordinarily little support, as services are sparse after you turn twenty-one. Every family deserves to have a team that helps them go from just surviving to thriving. I want to help as many families as I can find their team and community, so no one has to go through this life feeling alone and isolated.