Managing my money : banking & budgeting basics

This title offers a book & CD-ROM. Learning to manage money is one of the most important skills needed to achieve independent living for teens and adults with Down syndrome, autism, and other intellectual disabilities.

This book offers plenty of encouragement, clear instructions broken down into small steps, practice opportunities, color-coded forms, and large scale graphics to make abstract money managing concepts concrete.

Anyone whose math and writing skills are at a first-grade level or higher can follow the lessons in this workbook, assisted by parents or other adults, and aided by a calculator.

Readers will learn to: keep records - a unique, color-coded method helps readers record payment and deposit transactions on a ledger form; compute the account balance on a cheque book-like balance sheet; keep a budget - distinguish between expenses that are needs versus desires; appreciate the benefits of saving; keep a current account - open an account; write cheques; use a color-coded check register to record deposits, checks, and ATM withdrawals; make deposits; and, balance the account. Parents, educators, transition specialists, and life skills coaches can consult the teacher pages that face student lesson pages for specific suggestions and tips, and then flip them under, out of sight, to prevent distraction.

Use the handy CD-ROM to print out more forms when the reader has completed what's provided in the book.

This is an upbeat teaching tool that will ensure mastery of basic money management skills for teens and adults with special needs preparing to live on their own, as well as for older adults who need a refresher course.