Parent of Newly Diagnosed Child
TEN THINGS TO DO FIRST - #8 Plan for the Future
This may be something that is almost impossible to think about when your child is 3, but children have a tendency to grow up FAST and they will be 18 before you realize it. Of course, there is no way at the age of 3 to know what kind of progress your child will make and what his or her needs will be by the time he or she reaches adulthood, but now is the time to start thinking about it and planning for it. Check with your lawyer regarding special needs trusts and estate planning as these may have implications for receipt of federal and state funding later on. Learn about guardianship and conservatorship. Learn about what services are available when the yellow school bus stops coming and work with advocacy groups to create more appropriate programs for adults on the spectrum. As your child grows up think about adult life issues and remember that we need to teach our kids “life skills” as well as reading, writing and arithmetic. For our kids on the spectrum, social skills, particularly workplace skills, may need to be taught systematically and we want to start incorporating these skills into programs at an early age. Annoying obsessions can become life long employment opportunities with the right fine tuning.
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TEN THINGS TO DO FIRST
