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| Murfreesboro & surrounding areas · Tennessee | |
October in Our Special VillageIt takes a village. Welcome to ours. |
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 |  | Dr. Taylor Hickok Founder · SLP · AuDHD parent |
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Welcome to Our Special Village! I’m Dr. Taylor Hickok, a local speech-language pathologist, parent of an AuDHD child, and founder of this community. I created Our Special Village after seeing how often families of neurodivergent children were left trying to navigate services, schools, therapies, and community resources on their own. Too many parents were asking the same questions without one clear place to find answers. This month’s newsletter brings together local events, practical resources, and opportunities to connect with other families. I hope it saves you a little time – and reminds you that you do not have to figure everything out alone. With love,  |  |
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In this issue |
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| Deadline watch Three things to know this month |
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 | | Fall break, Oct 5 to 9: Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City Schools Both districts are closed all week. Rutherford County Schools conferences Tue Oct 20; Murfreesboro City Schools conferences Tue Nov 3 (no school). Ask for IEP progress data then. Voter registration deadline: Mon Oct 5 For the Nov 3 election. Register or update your address at GoVoteTN.gov by Mon Oct 5. Early voting Oct 14 to 29. Voters with a disability can request a mail ballot by Sat Oct 24. |
| | Clocks fall back one hour on Sun Nov 1 Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 AM. If sleep is fragile at your house, shift bedtime 10 to 15 minutes a night the week before. |
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Dates confirmed Sept 14. If something changed, reply and we will fix it. |
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| The next deep dive Village HallOne topic. One guest expert. Your questions. |
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● Saturday, October 10, 20269:30 to 11:00 AM CentralOnlineFree |
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| Topic and guest | The IEP process and navigating the school system |
Mercedes Lawson, M.S. Ed. Founder of A.C.C.E.S.S. · Greater Nashville  | She grew up with a sibling with disabilities, taught special education for nine years helping 250+ students, and has two neurodivergent children. Through A.C.C.E.S.S. (Advocacy & Consultation Center for Educational Student Supports), she helps families with IEP consultation, educational advocacy, and tutoring. |
A 45-minute lesson on how the IEP process works and how to navigate the school system, then live parent questions. The lesson is recorded and sent to registrants; the Q&A is not. |
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|  | |  | Free for every family Our first Village Hall is free. Register to save your seat. The meeting link is emailed to registrants. |
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| Happening soon The month aheadPicked for sensory-sensitive kids and their families. Drive times are from Murfreesboro. |
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 (opens in a new tab)Featured All Access Night: Monsters in the Museum · Discovery Center Thu Oct 15 · 6:00–8:00 PM · Murfreesboro · Free, registration required |
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 | | rEcess · Otter Creek Church 8:00–11:45 AM · Otter Creek Church, 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood · About 45 min Monthly respite with 99 Balloons. Kids and siblings stay for activities while parents step out. |
| | Game Day · Autism Tennessee 12:00–3:00 PM · Nashville · Free, food provided · About 45 min |
| | Boo at the Zoo · Nashville Zoo Nightly 5:00–9:00 PM · $19–$23 ages 2+, parking $10 · About 35 min |
| | Special Needs & Neurodiverse Day at Dollywood · Dream Cooperative All day · rain date Wed Oct 28 · Dollywood, Pigeon Forge · $70 per person, due Oct 2 · About 4 hours 15 min RSVP by texting Heidi at (931) 265-5376. |
| | Gallatin HOSA Special Needs Trunk or Treat 4:30–6:30 PM · Gallatin High School, 700 Dan P. Herron Drive, Gallatin · About 60 min Touch-A-Truck after treats. |
| | Sensory Spooktacular 1:00–4:00 PM (sensory-sensitive hour 1:00–2:00 PM) · Little Luminaries and Cultivate Play, 1810 Ward Dr, Murfreesboro · Free, tickets limited On site: local resources trunk-or-treat; mobile sensory room; sensory tables and activities; singing pumpkins and foggy bubbles; food and treats available. Thanks to location sponsors Little Luminaries and Cultivate Play. |
| | Caleb’s Friends Halloween Party 2:00 PM · Heroes Den, 1257 Broad Street, Murfreesboro · Teens and young adults with disabilities Costume Contest · Candy · Games · Dancing. |
| | Special Needs Family Fall Fest · Pegram Church of Christ 6:00–7:00 PM · 5019 WalkUp Road, Pegram, TN · About 65 min Indoors with trick-or-treat and games. |
| | Trick&Treat&Play · We Rock the Spectrum Murfreesboro Trick-or-treating 9:30 AM, Halloween play 10:00 AM–12:00 PM · 820 N Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro · $20 per child, $10 per sibling, adults free Kept inside this year: a sensory-friendly Halloween that’s dye-free and stress-free, with sensory bins, crafts, games, and pizza. |
| | Evergreen Trunk or Treat · Evergreen Life Services 1:00–3:00 PM · 6050 Dana Way, Antioch, TN · Free · About 30 min Fun, fellowship, and safe Halloween activities where everyone matters. |
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| Resource Library New in the library |
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New guide |  |
 Therapy styles: play, structure, and compliance Two therapists can have the same license and run completely different rooms. Learn what the common labels actually look like. |
New guide |  |
 Grief and disability: the loss nobody sends a card for This kind of grief rarely has an occasion attached. It shows up at a birthday, a missed milestone, or in the parking lot after an evaluation. |
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| One hopeful story Wall of Hope |
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 | Family win His love needs no words. My name is Nicole. I am a single mom of two amazing boys. I am also a person in recovery who has experienced many challenging, traumatic events. Being a special needs mom has been the hardest experience of my life. The most remarkable thing about this journey has been realizing that verbal communication is not necessary to express love. Connor expresses his love in the unexpected eye contact, the couple of tickles, the laughs, the rare interactive play. When he grabbed my face and put his nose to mine and gave me Eskimo kisses while he giggled. That only happened twice but it was the most special moment. When you have a child with special needs life can be lonely, dark, scary and filled with anxiety but! It is filled with moments of pure innocence, joy, love and light. Connor makes leaps and bounds of improvement and then will regress and it ebbs and flows. Every success no matter how “small” is celebrated loudly by the village. I’m so grateful for the people that have been walking alongside us. It truly does take a village. Let me leave you with a hopeshot, I know this isn’t the life you thought you would have. I know you don’t hear “I love you” or go to baseball games. I know you sit outside the party room while everyone else celebrates. The hopeshot is that you gain so many beautiful life lessons, moments, experiences and perspective that others do not get the pleasure to experience. If nobody has told you today I love you, you are doing a great job, we are the village. ✎ Nicole, Murfreesboro |  |
Borrow a little hope, or lend some Have a win of your own? Tell it like you would tell another parent. |
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| Parent to parent One question, answeredOne real question from a local parent, answered plainly. |
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“What do I do if my child’s IEP isn’t being followed?” An IEP is legally binding. The school has to deliver what is written in it. | | Put it in writing. Email the case manager and copy the principal: name what is missing, quote the IEP, ask for a fix by a date, and request service logs. |
| | Ask for an IEP team meeting. Request one in writing any time. If things stall, copy the district special education director. Bring notes and a friend. |
| | Use free state help. File a Tennessee Department of Education administrative complaint (no lawyer, decision in 60 days), or call STEP TN at ● 800-280-7837 |
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| Parent-to-parent guidance, not legal advice. |
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| The heart of the village Connect with other local parents | ONLINE · WEEKLY · FREE Our Special Village Online Parent Group ● Thursdays7:00–8:00 PM CentralOnline Connect with parents and caregivers of neurodivergent and disabled children in a welcoming, judgment-free space. Good to know | ✓ | No formal diagnosis required | | ✓ | Drop in any Thursday beginning October 1 | | ✓ | Cameras are optional | | ✓ | Meetings are never recorded |
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| IN PERSON · WEEKLY · FREE We Rock the Spectrum Parent Group ● Wednesdays at 5:00 PMWe Rock the Spectrum Murfreesboro Connect with other parents of kids with special needs while children enjoy the gym. Gym staff watch the kids during group; childcare is available but not appropriate for all children. Good to know | ✓ | Led by Cari Parr | | ✓ | $15 per child for kids to play | | ✓ | Gym staff watch children during group; not appropriate for all children | | ✓ | Discounted gym admission is available separately. |
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 | About Our Special VillageA village for families like ours in Murfreesboro and surrounding areas: free guides, a local Resource Directory, sensory-friendly events, and a parent community. Built around autism and open to every kind of difference and disability. |
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Know a family who could use this? Forward it along. Anyone can join at |
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