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PJs & CocoaA welcoming space for different minds.
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PJs & Cocoa's little library of big help

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The Resource Corner

Real connections. Thoughtful information. A softer place to begin.

Whether you're learning the language of neurodiversity, looking for community support, exploring disability rights, or hoping to lend a hand—find a place to start here.

A good beginning

A Little Glossary

Words can open doors. Explore common terms at your own pace—one definition at a time.

Ableism
Discrimination, social prejudice, or systemic devaluation of individuals with physical, intellectual, psychiatric, or cognitive disabilities, rooted in the assumption that non-disabled ways of functioning are superior.
Allistic
A descriptive term for an individual who is not autistic.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
A neurological deficit affecting how the brain interprets auditory data, where hearing acuity remains typical but speech clarity in background noise degrades.
Executive Dysfunction
A disruption in cognitive processes mediated by the frontal lobe, impacting working memory, flexible thinking, task initiation, prioritization, and impulse regulation (common in ADHD, Autism, and Traumatic Brain Injuries).
Dyscalculia
A specific learning difference characterized by severe difficulty in grasping arithmetic facts, number sense, time management, and mathematical reasoning.
Dysgraphia
A neurological condition impairing the fine motor skills and cognitive processing needed to produce legible handwriting, spatial arrangement, and written expression.
Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder)
A neurological condition that impairs physical coordination, spatial awareness, and motor planning.
Masking (Camouflaging)
The conscious or unconscious suppression of neurodivergent traits, repetitive motions (stimming), or cognitive limits to blend into neurotypical environments, frequently resulting in burnout.
Monotropism
A cognitive theory describing minds that tend to pull intense attention toward a single interest or task at a time, characteristic of many autistic profiles.
Neurodivergent (ND)
Having a brain that functions, learns, or processes information differently from the societal standard of typical cognition. Coined by Kassiane Asasumasu.
Neurodiversity
The biological reality that human brain development and cognition vary naturally across the entire human population. Coined by sociologist Judy Singer.
Neurodiversity Movement
A civil rights initiative advocating for self-determination, accommodation, institutional access, and dignity under the principle "Nothing about us without us".
Neurotypical (NT)
An individual whose neurocognitive processing aligns with dominant societal standards of neurological functioning.
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) / Pervasive Drive for Autonomy
A neurodivergent profile characterized by an extreme autonomic nervous system flight-or-fight response when demands are perceived, whether direct or internal.
Proprioception & Vestibular Interoception
Sensory systems that register body positioning, balance, and internal somatic sensations (such as heart rate, hunger, or bladder fullness), often hyper- or hypo-sensitive in unseen disabilities.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)
Severe physical and emotional discomfort triggered by the perception or reality of rejection, failure, or criticism, frequently linked with ADHD.
Sensory Processing Sensitivity / SPD
A condition where the nervous system misinterprets incoming environmental stimuli (sounds, visual patterns, textures, lights), leading to sensory overload or under-responsiveness.
Stimming (Self-Stimulatory Behavior)
Repetitive physical movements, vocalizations, or sensory inputs (rocking, humming, pacing) used to self-regulate emotional states and sensory loads.
Unseen (Invisible) Disability
A physical, cognitive, neurological, or mental health condition that is not immediately visible to outside observers but substantially impacts daily living and access.

Language around neurodiversity evolves. These short explanations are a starting point for understanding—not diagnoses or individualized guidance.

Made with heart in Las Vegas

Nevada, Neighbors & Helping Hands

Community connections, nonprofit programs, and specialized services across Southern Nevada.

Community & nonprofit

FEAT of Southern Nevada (Families for Effective Autism Treatment)

Diagnostic navigation, family peer support, developmental therapy funding, respite programs.

Community opportunities: "Parents Night Out" monthly respite support, peer-group sensory activity monitoring, administrative events.

Phone: 702-368-3328 (English) / 702-403-6263 (Spanish)

Where: 7061 W. Arby Ave., Suite 170, Las Vegas, NV 89113

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Community & nonprofit

Grant a Gift Autism Foundation Ackerman Center

Interdisciplinary diagnostics, pediatric neurodevelopmental medical care, vocational transition, young-adult life skill coaching.

Community opportunities: Event logistics, community inclusion outings, campus peer-engagement programs.

Phone: 702-998-9505

Where: 630 S. Rancho Dr., Suite D, Las Vegas, NV 89106 (also serves Henderson).

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Community & nonprofit

Nevada PEP (Parent Education & Participation)

Statewide parent training and information center for children with unseen disabilities, emotional/behavioral challenges, and special education advocacy (IEP/504).

Community opportunities: Family peer-mentor programs, community workshop organization.

Phone: 702-388-8899 (Las Vegas) / 800-216-5188 (Toll-Free Statewide)

Where: 7211 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117 (satellite office in Reno, NV)

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Community & nonprofit

Opportunity Village

Vocational integration, day habilitation, independent living programs, creative arts therapy, and employment training for developmental and cognitive conditions.

Community opportunities: Year-round vocational mentorship, arts studio assistants, seasonal operations for the Magical Forest.

Phone: 725-204-9460

Where: Multiple campuses across Las Vegas, including Ralph & Betty Engelstad Campus (6300 W. Oakey Blvd.) and Linda Smith Campus (Magical Forest).

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Community & nonprofit

The Arc Nevada

Grassroots rights advocacy, policy change, family navigation, and systemic inclusion across the lifespan for intellectual and developmental differences.

Community opportunities: Policy initiatives, community self-advocacy workshops.

Phone: 775-525-1887

Where: Statewide service branches (Las Vegas and Northern Nevada).

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Specialized services

Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada (Cure 4 The Kids Foundation)

Outpatient treatment for pediatric rare medical conditions, childhood neuro-oncology, genetic and metabolic anomalies; accepts patients regardless of financial capability.

Phone: 702-732-1493

Where: One Breakthrough Way, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89135

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Specialized services

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

Intensive therapeutic residential support and individualized community stabilization for neglected, traumatized, or neurodevelopmentally complex youth.

Phone: 702-294-7100

Where: 100 St. Jude's St., Boulder City, NV 89005 (with Las Vegas therapeutic facilities)

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Specialized services

UNLV Medicine Ackerman Autism Center

Multidisciplinary medical diagnostics, clinical geneticists, developmental pediatricians, child neuropsychiatry.

Phone: 702-998-9505

Where: 630 S. Rancho Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89106

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Programs and volunteer opportunities vary by organization and season. Contact each organization for current availability, eligibility, and hours.

Ideas that make room for everyone

More Ways to Connect

Three organizations and initiatives helping people navigate invisible disabilities, workplace inclusion, and accommodations.

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

A discreet way to communicate that someone may have a non-visible disability and could benefit from patience, support, or extra time.

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You deserve to be heard.

This page is a living starting point, not a substitute for professional medical or legal services. Know of a resource that belongs here?

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