June is Syngap Awareness Month, making this the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about Phoebe and her fight against SYNGAP1-Related Disorders.

A study from the Deputy Mayor for Education found that the number of students enrolled in special education services (56%) has outpaced general public school enrollment (20%) by more than double from the 2013/14 school year to the 24/25 school year. This means that the current state of DC’s public school isn’t just problematic, it’s unsustainable; akin to trying to outrun an ever-growing snowball.

All of our noticing came as disparate experiences. It began with an increase in self-talk. Driving her to school in her last year of middle school, I noticed her whispering to herself. When I would ask, she would say, “Nothing.” She used to be embarrassed and would only do it in private, but this talk—which I now understand to be mal-adaptive daydreaming—began to take over her life.