Life Planning for Adults with Developmental Disabilities: A Guide for Parents and Family Members

A Comprehensive Guide for Parents and Caregivers

As any parent or caregiver of an individual with developmental disabilities can tell you, planning for the future of an adult with intellectual disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, severe autism, or another such condition requires hard work and good advice. While complete independence and self-reliance is out of reach for many adults with developmental disabilities, a productive, stable, and enjoyable life is certainly possible. But government and private support for parents and disabled individuals is scattered and difficult to negotiate. This book is a comprehensive guide to resources you can use to help an adult child or other individual with developmental disabilities for whom you care.

The book begins by assessing the quality of life of the adult with a disability. It offers a wealth of suggestions for making that person's life even better. The book then focuses on long-term planning for the individual with a disability and helps answer the question, Who will take care of my child after I'm gone?

• Learn effective ways to: Assess a disabled individual's strengths and need for support services
• Develop a plan to for building a busy and productive life
• Locate good housing and employment opportunities
• Gather a supportive team of caregivers Advocate for a disabled individual with community agencies

Judith Greenbaum, PhD, is the mother of an adult daughter with moderate/severe and mild mental retardation. She currently consults with school districts and families on the development of appropriate educational environments for children with disabilities. She has worked with children and adults with disabilities for 35 years, and has spent much of her educational and professional career as an advocate for people with disabilities and their families.

She has written numerous articles and presented many workshops and seminars for families, educators, social service workers, and mental health professionals on how to access community services, develop effective programs and work with other educational and social services professionals to best care for and support developmentally disabled people. She earned her PhD in Special Education at the University of Michigan.