Last night, a local mom called and asked for school advice. Usually, I nudge parents to set up daytime appointments and become formal clients for my autism business; I need to put some boundaries on my time. But I helped this mom for free because she’s a sweetie and she promised to make me dinner. 

During our one-hour conversation about IEP legalities and other matters, she mentioned three times that she thought DOGE was going to hurt kids like ours. She echoed the worries of all my clients and friends. Always in a vulnerable position and marginalized in their communities, parents with disabled children are stressed out. Big time. 

Honestly, I’m fielding questions about DOGE and disability issues all day long. Will there still be college programs for kids with autism next year? What will happen to that funding for state disability services? Will these cuts embolden others to independently cut school programs for disabled kids? Even if DOGE doesn’t cut programs, will they create a hostile environment for our kids? 

I can’t answer those questions or assure parents that they’ll be okay because we live in weird times. Democracy isn’t operating normally, and the big dude in the White House is renaming the Gulf of Mexico. While I think most people think that a streamlined government is a good thing, the speed and the Hulk-ish methods of DOGE are resulting in great uncertainty and fear on the ground. Families don’t trust this government to protect vulnerable kids, because compassion isn’t efficient.

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