About Raising Different Together
Built from lived experience. Made so families feel less alone.
Two moms. One shared purpose.♡
Raising Different Together was created by two mothers who learned—firsthand—that parents don’t just need information. They need clarity, preparation, and someone who understands.
Casey DeLeon-Pinola
Co-Founder, Raising Different Together
I never imagined that becoming a special needs mom would also mean becoming an advocate, researcher, navigator, and relentless voice for my children. As the mother of three incredible children with a wide range of disabilities and medical needs, including cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, anxiety, pathological demand avoidance (PDA), emotion-based school avoidance (EBSA), and other complex diagnoses. I have spent years learning how to navigate systems that often feel overwhelming. Every meeting, evaluation, medical appointment, and IEP has taught me something new, not just about advocacy, but about resilience, patience, and the importance of never giving up on your child.
Over the years, I’ve navigated the New York City Department of Education, medical specialists, therapists, evaluations, and special education processes while fighting to ensure each of my children received the support they deserved. I’ve experienced both the frustrations of being unheard and the victories that come when persistence, preparation, and collaboration finally make a difference. Alongside my lived experience, I bring a background in nursing and have earned a second degree in Educational Studies with a focus on Early Childhood Education, giving me both personal insight and an educational foundation that strengthens my work with families.
My passion is helping families feel less alone. I know what it feels like to sit through confusing meetings, question difficult decisions, and wonder where to turn next. I believe every parent deserves access to clear information, compassionate support, and someone who truly understands the journey because they’ve lived it. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know how to ask the right questions, connect families with resources, and stand beside them as they advocate for their children. That belief is the heart behind Raising Different Together, a community built on the idea that families are stronger when they have support, understanding, and a place where they truly belong. Together, we can learn from one another, celebrate every milestone, face every challenge with hope, and remind each other that every child deserves to be seen, supported, and empowered.
Casey DeLeon-Pinola
Co-Founder, Raising Different Together
Danielle Sitnick-Raja
Co-Founder, Raising Different Together
I became an advocate years before I understood that I was also describing myself. I’m the mother of two bright, complex children— a son who is autistic and has ADHD, and a daughter who lives with ADHD, anxiety, a learning disability in math, and an auditory processing disorder, and who has also faced serious medical challenges, including childhood cancer. For most of their school years I watched them be called “average” and “fine” on paper while I knew, in my gut, that something wasn’t adding up. My son scored in the 99th percentile on a gifted test and finished kindergarten reading at the very first level. It took me far too long to learn that “average” is not a diagnosis — sometimes it’s just the place a real disability hides.
The thing I never expected was that looking into my children’s diagnoses would lead me to my own. At 40, I was diagnosed autistic and ADHD. The same wiring, showing up a generation apart. The sensory things I struggled with as a kid are the same ones my son struggles with now. I don’t advocate for neurodivergent children from the outside. I am one of the bright, capable, late-found adults so many of these kids grow up to be.
Alongside my lived experience, I bring the mind of an accountant — I hold a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting and teach as an adjunct professor — and I put that training to work the way it matters most: in the paperwork. I’ve spent years navigating the New York City Department of Education, IEPs and 504 plans, evaluations, neuropsychologists, and special education processes, learning to build a clear, documented, evidence-based case for each of my children and to fight for the support and placements they deserved. I’ve felt the frustration of being unheard, and I’ve also won.
I believe every parent deserves plain information, compassionate support, and someone who can help them understand what is happening. That is the heart behind Raising Different Together: a community built on the idea that families are stronger, and far harder to dismiss, when they have understanding, evidence, and a place where they truly belong.
Danielle Sitnick-Raja
Co-Founder, Raising Different Together
How Raising Different Together Began ♡
Raising Different Together wasn’t created in a boardroom… it grew out of a friendship.
We met as two moms whose daughters were classmates in a gifted and talented program. From the outside, they appeared to be thriving academically. What many people didn’t see were the struggles happening behind the scenes: anxiety, sensory differences, ADHD, autism, emotional challenges, cancer, and the exhausting effort it took for our girls to simply make it through each school day.
As the years passed, our daughters became inseparable, more like sisters than friends. At the same time, we found ourselves walking remarkably similar paths. We spent countless hours researching, attending evaluations, preparing for school meetings, advocating for services, celebrating breakthroughs, and supporting one another through setbacks. Together, we fought to have all our children seen, understood, appropriately evaluated, and given the support they deserved.
That shared journey became the seed and the heart of Raising Different Together. What began as two moms leaning on each other has grown into a community dedicated to helping families feel informed, empowered, and connected. We know firsthand that advocacy can feel overwhelming, but we also know the difference it makes when someone truly gets it and walks beside you. You don’t have to navigate this alone. We’re here, and we’re in this together.
friendship. ♡
What Guides Us ♡
Our Belief
We believe that every child deserves to be seen, every parent deserves to be heard, and every family deserves a community that walks beside them.
Our Vision
A world where children with disabilities, developmental differences, and unique learning needs are embraced, understood, and empowered to reach their fullest potential— in school, in life, and in their communities.
Our Mission
To provide compassionate support, practical resources, educational guidance, and meaningful connections that help parents navigate special education, healthcare systems, and everyday challenges with confidence and hope.
