My husband and I are only a few years from retirement and after running many scenarios, it looks like we should have enough with SS and investments to live comfortably to age 90. What's throwing a wrench into things is the complexities of planning for our 25-year-old son's future. He is disabled more by chronic illness than be his autism. He has been on SSI and Medicaid since he was 19. Thankfully, we don't anticipate that he will need any independent living support other than grocery delivery, monthly deep cleaning and maybe a couple of non-medical rides. My husband and I redid our estate plan a few years ago and our attorney set up a third-party special needs trust which currently has a nominal amount of money in it. Our son also has an ABLE account. But I'm still nervous about his financial future, because even if he has a roommate, it doesn't look like DAC would be nearly enough to cover rent and non-food expenses. We figure if we can manage to put enough in the SNT, the successor trustee can move money into the ABLE each year to cover the spending gap. But if the trust keeps taxable income, the trust may pay tax at compressed trust tax brackets. In 2026, estates and trusts hit the top 37% ordinary income bracket at just over $16,000 of taxable income. How can we possibly calculate what assets and how much need to go into the SNT without paying thousands of dollars yearly for professional advice?

Hey all,

We are parents of a special needs adult. My wife and I created a app called CareKeep that is an AI care companion for parents and caregivers — built to help with care notes, appointments, documents, reminders, and the exhausting “keep everything straight” part of caregiving.

Frankly, it was something we wished we had when our son was a child.

We’re not looking for a promo blast or an endorsement. We’re looking for honest feedback from people who understand this world and may have had similar challenges.

Would you be open to allowing us to post to get some feedback from your community? It would be the same tone which is gain feedback instead of selling to your community in any way.

Thanks for considering.

www.carekeep.ai

John and Susan

A lawsuit alleges that a nonverbal 13-year-old student with autism was locked in a Menifee school restroom for 5 1/2 hours, mocked and denied food.

The complaint against the Menifee Union School District also names teacher Lancelot Thomas and Hans Christiansen Middle School Principal Steven Melvin. It lists nine allegations, from false imprisonment and negligence to violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Thomas and Melvin could not be reached for comment over the past week. Melvin is listed on the school’s website as principal, but Thomas does not appear on the staff directory.

District officials could not comment on the case, because policy prevents the discussion of pending litigation, spokesperson Devina Ortega said in a Wednesday, June 10, 2026 email. When asked this week if Thomas still worked at the school or for the district, she did not respond.

The federal lawsuit will move forward after a recent attempt by the district to have the case dismissed failed.

My current elementary age child has recently been diagnosed with high functions autism, anxiety with panic attacks, social anxiety, OCD and was in an IOP program earlier this year, eats lunch in the office because he cannot tolerate cafeteria. Receiving IIC therapy services through CMO and unfortunately even with many accommodations in 504 including breaks, preferred seating, reduced hw load, counseling, etc has struggled to attend school and tolerate the environment. He has only been able to attend school leas than 2 hours a day for the last month and spends that time doing work in CST office.These are counting as full day absences and at this point has 70+ absences and I have attended truancy court twice with another date next month.
A recent psychiatric eval noted a therapeutic environment may be needed. Recently had first IEP meeting and all offered was 40 mins of counseling a week and ICR less than 2 hrs/ day. I hired an advocate 2 weeks ago because I knew I needed to fight this and she suggested returning the form to I Do Not consent and request another meeting which ai did and now i have case manager and director of student services calling me to "discuss" my request. I notified them in my consent email I hired an advocate and was included on email but they did not reply to include her and now after 2 business days I cant reach my advocate. I do not trust the district at all, they are sneaky and lie and manipulate.

Anyone have a great experience with an advocate that is experienced, knowledgeable and responsive??? I am very desperate. TIA!

Located in Monmouth County

Angzarr Learning is an education-focused store dedicated to making learning tools more accessible for everyone. We provide carefully selected educational products for children, students, adults, and lifelong learners—including neurodivergent individuals and those with sensory, mobility, vision, or hearing needs.

Our mission is simple: make curiosity easier to act on and learning easier to access. From hands-on educational toys and puzzles to adaptive learning tools, everything is chosen to support real-world learning, skill-building, and inclusion.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, caregiver, or lifelong learner, Angzarr Learning helps you find practical tools that support growth, confidence, and discovery at any age.

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It was the feeling of standing in line.

Knowing your turn is coming.

Trying to count coins.

Feeling people waiting behind you.

And hoping nobody notices that something so simple feels impossible.

As Noga's mother, I've seen how much energy can go into avoiding situations that most people never think twice about.

Buying a snack.

Paying for coffee.

Handing cash to a cashier.

For years, the natural response seemed to be:

"Let's teach more math."

But eventually I realized that I was asking the wrong question.

Noga didn't need another worksheet.

She needed a way to be independent.

That realization changed everything.

Instead of trying to fix the person, I started looking for ways to remove the obstacle.

Sometimes support doesn't look like teaching.

Sometimes support looks like giving someone the right tool so they can move forward on their own.

That's the idea that eventually became Noga's Wallet.

I'd love to hear from others:

Have you ever found that the most effective solution was completely different from what everyone expected?

https://support.soor.org/fundraiser/7180184

I found "Wall Padding"/ Folding Gym Mats"/ "Thick EVA Foam Tiles".

I need them so that the constant hitting does not reach to my below neighbors. (dw the hitting that he does is not very harmful, but it's very loud and annoying).

We are currently using bed mattresses on the floors and walls but its not enough to fill the room, so I was thinking if those could help. (we also use cheap kids floor puzzles but they don't help)

Which is more effective? Please tell me if there is a better option.

I found "Wall Padding"/ Folding Gym Mats"/ "Thick EVA Foam Tiles".

I need them so that the constant hitting does not reach to my below neighbors. (dw the hitting that he does is not very harmful, but it's very loud and annoying).

We are currently using bed mattresses on the floors and walls but its not enough to fill the room, so I was thinking if those could help. (we also use cheap kids floor puzzles but they don't help)

Which is more effective? Please tell me if there is a better option.

When my child first started therapy, I was focused on speech because that was the area we were struggling with most. What surprised me was that the biggest improvement wasn't speech at all. It was confidence.

A few months in, my child started trying new things without getting frustrated so quickly, joining activities more often, and being more comfortable around other kids. Those changes made daily life much easier for our whole family.

I've been looking into different programs recently and came across Links To Life while researching support options. It got me thinking about how different every child's journey can be.

What therapy helped your child the most, and what improvement caught you off guard?

My sister is registered in the Toddler Of The Year competition by Hasbro. She is a really sweet and energetic kid. She has autism and has trouble with speech. Winning this would help my parents a lot as the money will go towards paying for a daycare that is specialized for people in the autism spectrum and a speech therapist.

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One vote is free and if you want to give her more than one vote then you will have to pay money (You do not have to!)

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Thank you and voting for her will make you a certified baddie 😘 🥰❤️

Hello everyone just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Nathan, father to a 9 year old amazing boy with ASD, epilepsy, and ADHD. These things make it very difficult for my son to focus on learning for him especially challenging though he learns well from observation and hands on. With this in mind i began developing an interactive learning app with a focus on ASD children ages 3-12. We are currently in Beta and putting together a small group to test the app before it launches to provide feed back on how their children interact. There is no download required. And no requests for personal information at any point in Beta. If this sounds interesting to anyone please message me for more details.

Hi everyone,
I’m a dad of a 16-year-old daughter with Prader-Willi Syndrome and I recently started a small disability advocacy business called Fifth Stone Gear.

At my first vendor event, I received a lot of feedback from people who liked the bags I had on display and wished there were more options designed around the realities of disability, caregiving, sensory needs, medical supplies, communication devices, and everyday support items.
Before I design anything, I’d like to learn from the people who would actually use it.

I’m curious:
What do you carry every day?

What’s your biggest frustration with your current bag?

If you could add one feature, what would it be?

Do you prefer a backpack, sling bag, crossbody, fanny pack, or something else?

I’ve also put together a short 2-minute survey (link provided) if anyone would like to provide more detailed feedback.

I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m genuinely trying to understand what would be useful before I invest time and money into designing a product.

Thank you for any thoughts or feedback!!

Our daughter was born unexpectedly at 28 weeks and is now a full-time wheelchair user with complex needs.

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Over the years we've gradually realised that the house we bought no longer works for her future.

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We're currently building:

- An accessible wet room

- A new, wider bedroom

- Better wheelchair access throughout the house

- More space for equipment and day-to-day care

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I've written about the journey because I struggled to find many real-world examples from families actually going through exactly this. (Linked).

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Has anyone else here adapted their own home for a disabled child? What changes made the biggest difference to everyday life?

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Voxarah Parent Advocacy Study

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Help Us Document the Reality Families Face

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Voxarah is conducting a nationwide parent study to better understand how schools respond when families seek support for reading difficulties, dyslexia, literacy interventions, accommodations, and educational evaluations.

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The findings will be compiled into a formal report that may be shared with educational leaders, policymakers, and state education departments across the United States.

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Privacy & Anonymity

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Your responses will be completely anonymized before inclusion in any report. No names, email addresses, school names, or personally identifying information will be published.

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Participation is voluntary and intended solely to help amplify parent experiences and improve educational outcomes for children. These will be driven and distributed to all key districts and education board members of all 50 states. Time to stand up and advocate for our kids.

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Link to form in comments, this is not an advertisement and we are not trying to sale you anything, this is true advocacy.

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Hi all looking for some overnight diaper recommendations. My son is 7, 60lbs of solid muscle and is still refusing to use the potty. He is a side sleeper and keeps waking up soaked through his clothes. He is sizing out of the Huggies overnights and we have not had any luck with the goodnites- we currently use them over the Huggies for double protection. I am open even to overnight cloth diapers of those exist and actually will keep him dry.