A Parent’s Special Needs Planning Snapshot

Find the One or Two Areas Worth Addressing Next

Parents of children with disabilities become experts at solving problems — but it’s easy to overlook one uncomfortable question: what happens when you can’t solve them anymore?
You don’t need to answer everything today. This snapshot is meant to help you find the one or two areas most worth addressing next.

Where Do You Stand?

For each area, ask yourself: confident and current, or overdue for a look?

• Your child’s current needs — diagnosis, medications, benefits, and support needs documented and up to date
• Your estate plan — a current will, and a decision about whether a Special Needs Trust is right for your family
• Beneficiary designations — life insurance, retirement, and other accounts reviewed so they match your plan, not an old form
• Government benefits — you know what your child receives today and how an inheritance could affect it
• An ABLE account — considered, including the 2026 eligibility change that opened it to more people
• Trustee and guardian — chosen, discussed with them directly, and a backup named
• Adulthood and decision-making — addressed before or at 18, without assuming guardianship is automatic
• Housing and a future care team — a plan for where your child will live, and more than one person involved besides you
• A Letter of Intent and emergency information — written down, not just known in your head

What This Tells You

If most of these feel solid, you’re ahead of most families we meet. If two or three gave you pause, that’s exactly where a conversation should start.