Financial Security Issues Considered for Students with ASD Question
Please answer the following question:
What types of financial security issues need to be considered for students with ASD when planning for employment? What effect will these financial security issues have on individuals in becoming independent members of society?
Respond to student discussion board. DO NOT include student discussion with question:
(EM. G)Individuals with Autism often have difficulty with the understanding of money, such as saving, budgeting, and making ends meet (Wehman, Datlow Smith, & Schall, 2009). Some students hoard all their money, and aren’t buying the necessities, or paying bills (Wehman, Datlow Smith, & Schall, 2009). On the other spectrum of that, some students are spending all their money as soon as they get it, not saving money, or spending it on necessities (Wehman, Datlow Smith, & Schall, 2009). Another issue is the threat that credit and debit cards have. Students are not seeing the money, making it difficult to track the amount of money they have available (Wehman, Datlow Smith, & Schall, 2009). This will impact their independence. Without knowledge of how to use money correctly, by budgeting, they may not be able to pay their bills, or buy necessities such as food.
When thinking about this question, my initial thought was that students may share their personal information. Some students have difficulty identifying strangers and trusted adults. With this difficulty, they may tell people their bank information, their full name, or even their social security if they know it. Giving this information away poses a threat to their financial security. They could tell the wrong person all their information and have their identity stolen. I think of the phone and email scams that are common, would they fall for the scam, and provide the information? This can create a problem with their level of independence. If an individual is known for oversharing personal information, parents or caregivers may not want their child to know the identifying information, making them rely on parents more.
References
Wehman, P., Datlow Smith, M., and Schall, C. (2009). Autism & the transition to adulthood: Success beyond the classroom. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. ISBN-13: 9781557669582
(Kathy)unfortunatly there is no way to keep students with ASD completly safe financially. there are always going to be scammers out there and “friends” that will only be your friend to get something from you. This is really hard for ASD kids because they really want friends. Since they don’t uderstand social skills very much they can’t understand why someone would do that. There is also the scare of them sharing private information with anybody that asks.
This is one reason the parents or gardian might stay in controll of certain information for the student. If they are given a debit card it is really hard to understand that money comes out of that.
i knew a girl that thought that when you want something you just show the debit card and get it but she had no idea that she actually had to pay for it with money from her bank account. It was a real eye opener for her to realize she was paying for it but still did not really understand.
I really stand by the envelope method. Then they see real money and have a certain amount of money set aside for specific things. I really dislike debit cards for ASD kids that really do not grasp money.
Wehman, P., Datlow Smith, M., and Schall, C. (2009). Autism & the transition to adulthood: Success beyond the classroom. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. ISBN-13: 9781557669582
(SAR)Some individuals with autism will continue to need financial support as adults so there are programs in place including social security income and Medicaid that provide help cover the financial needs and medical coverage. The amount of financial support and the type of financial support will depend on the individual, their employment wages, and their individual plan. For adults with disabilities that are able to work some hours, the social security income may be a reduced amount (Wehman, Datlow Smith, & Schall, 2012). While attending school, some individuals may be eligible for student earned income exclusion and while working to achieve employment goals, individuals may be eligible for plan to achieve self-support (Wehman, et al., 2012). It is important to consider the financial support required compared to the individual’s ability to earn money to help plan for financial success to cover needs while maintain the highest independence possible. For those that will continue to need financial support, it is important that they have the services and supports in place, including social security income, guardianship, and a life plan as they move into adulthood (Holtz, Owings, Ziegert, & Organization for Autism Research, 2006). Due to the needs of my students, I discuss with families the importa
