Speak Up for Neurodivergent Children in Foster Care as a Court Appointed Special Advocate Volunteer

Some struggle to advocate for themselves

[Riverside / San Diego], Calif. – Although people think, learn, and behave in different ways, those who are neurodivergent—such as those with ADHD, Autism, or learning disabilities—often face challenges when communicating and voicing their needs. Neurodivergent children in foster care especially need someone to advocate for the resources they require.

Voices for Children recruits and trains caring volunteers, known as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), to provide guidance and support services for youth in foster care. This past year, over 1,300 CASAs and Voices for Children staff supported more than 2,300 youth in foster care between San Diego & Riverside Counties. But more children come into care across the region and need a CASA every day.

Although CASA volunteers are matched with children according to their background and preferences, no prior experience with neurodivergent children is required. Each volunteer completes a 35-hour training program focused on all aspects of a child’s well-being, including training on educational advocacy, child development, and early intervention such as occupational and speech therapy. Advocacy supervisors provide additional ongoing support and advice for challenges CASAs may encounter.

“At Voices for Children, we strive to empower CASA volunteers by providing them with the essential skills, knowledge, and preparation needed to effectively advocate for the unique needs and abilities of their assigned children,” said Voices for Children President & CEO Jessica Muñoz, Esq., MFS. “Our organization ensures that our volunteers have the support they need to make a lasting impact. We are touched and inspired by the incredible resilience displayed by the children we serve, as our volunteers often express how their own lives are transformed through their meaningful experience.”

In addition to becoming a consistent source of support and mentorship for their case children, CASAs learn about concrete programs, services, and strategies they can use when advocating for them, neurodivergent or not.

According to San Diego-based CASA Sarah Cooper, half the battle of advocating for her case child was learning what his complex challenges were and what treatments and resources were available to him. “Because I’m also neurodivergent—we had similar experiences. I could help him decide where to focus his energy and what to study. Together, we strategized and prioritized his work.” Although the boy was struggling in school when she met him at age 9, with CASA Sarah’s support, he was able to improve his grades and graduate from high school.

CASAs like Sarah frequently advocate for individual education programs (IEPs) for their case children and develop good relationships with teachers and school counselors so they can see how the child is managing their classwork and how they can support their progress. They may even hold the case child’s educational rights, which means they serve as a point person for the child’s educational needs. CASAs also develop close communication with foster families or relative caregivers to ensure children have consistent access to the services they need. This is especially important for CASAs of neurodivergent children.

In hindsight, CASA Sarah acknowledges that her biggest lesson was learning to be receptive to her case child however he showed up and in whatever mood or state of readiness he was to do things with her. She said, “He didn’t like exploring or adventures. He liked predictable routines.” After ten years of working with the child, CASA Sarah concluded, “My biggest achievement was being predictable and utterly, utterly reliable.”

Nancy Green from Riverside County has been a CASA for over 25 years and has been working with a neurodivergent case child since he was 12. She said, “He had a rough start. He was three years behind in school before he even got started because his family was experiencing homelessness, and he has been catching up ever since.” When she met her case child, CASA Nancy had no prior experience with developmental and learning disabilities, so she did research, attended trainings, and received support from Voices for Children to learn about them.

Now, at age 16, in the tenth grade, the youth’s greatest challenge is communicating with others. She explained, “In the beginning, he wanted me to speak for him, so I have been working on having him advocate for himself. For example, I encourage him to talk and order his own food at restaurants and make his own purchases at check-out stands.”

Working with her advocacy supervisor, teachers, and the boy’s therapist, CASA Nancy made sure her youth had all possible services made available to him. Today, his neurodiversity support specialists provide two 2-hour sessions per week in life skills and communication at the boy’s home. CASA Nancy holds the youth’s educational rights so she can check his progress at school and ensure his Individual Education Program is being followed.

CASA Nancy said, “I see him wanting to speak for himself now. He’s doing very well. He did a presentation in front of his class and has even expressed a desire to reach out to his peers.” Though she is still working with his case worker on his socialization skills, she said the youth has started opening up to his paternal grandparents and is able to tell them what’s going on in his life. For CASA Nancy’s birthday, he wrote a letter thanking her for being his friend and saying he appreciates her.

There is no one ‘right’ way to learn from or interact with the world. Neurodivergent children in foster care need our support and guidance to discover ‘their’ way, and a CASA volunteer can do just that.

To learn more about becoming a CASA or donating to the program, visit speakupnow.org.