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Tips for Planning Financial Security Beyond Childhood
The financial systems that support a child mostly disappear at eighteen. Here's how families can plan for the system that replaces them. Most of the financial planning conversations that happen in early intervention and school-age ABA services are, understandably, focused on the here and now:...
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The Person Doesn’t Change. The System Around Them Does.
At UCLA's PEERS Clinic, I coached autistic teenagers learning social skills that could help them navigate adulthood. Later, as a behavioral therapist, I worked directly with autistic individuals and their families in their homes. One mother stopped me after a session. Her daughter had just...
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Planning for a Lifetime: Building a More Secure Future for Autistic People and Their Families
When my son AJ was diagnosed with autism at age three, my wife and I focused on what was immediately in front of us: signing him up for the right therapies, navigating IEP meetings, finding activities he enjoyed, and helping him build skills. Like many parents, we were thinking about his future,...
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Building Financial Autonomy While Guarding Against Exploitation: Practical Tools for Autistic and I/DD Adults and Families
Financial security is one of the most critical, yet frequently overlooked, competencies of independent living for autistic individuals and those with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). As young adults transition out of secondary education and into adult services, conversations...
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Beyond Money Math: Using THINK to Teach Financial Literacy to Autistic Teens
Managing money well is an essential skill that influences independence and quality of life. As financial expert Dave Ramsey said, "You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you." Money management is essentially mathematical skills combined with self-control and...
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The Missing Middle: Recreation Access for Autistic Adults in New York
When autistic students finish high school or college in New York, the transition into adulthood often brings unexpected loss. What disappears is not only structured support, but also access to community, hobbies, and meaningful social participation. For autistic adults without intellectual...
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“Autism Class”: Teaching Students in K-12 Autism Schools About Who They Are
The new student looks understandably full of questions. "Hi!" I say, intentionally gregarious. "What's your name?" Which we exchange...I then give them a sly facial expression and tone—we autistics are bad at reading non-verbal communication, but we usually live long enough to learn a thing...
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The Transition to Adulthood: Bridging Skill Gaps to Strengthen Community Inclusion
For autistic individuals, the transition to adulthood represents a pivotal developmental period filled with both potential and uncertainty. While for the most part, adolescence through special education programs often comes with robust educational supports and structured services, adulthood...
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Supporting Families Through the Transition from School to Adult Life
For families of young people with autism and developmental disabilities, the transition out of high school and into adulthood represents one of the most emotionally and practically challenging periods of the lifespan. Throughout childhood, the public education system provides structure,...
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Let Them Be: Supporting Neurodivergent Young Adults Through Independence
The transition into adulthood is a major shift for any family, but parents of autistic and neurodivergent young adults often face additional layers of complexity. You’ve spent years helping them navigate systems, environments, and expectations that weren’t always designed with them in mind. As...
