For every role
I thought we were on opposite sides
A mother's thank-you to her son's special education director, plus a plain-language guide to one-on-one aides, LRE and questions for your next IEP meeting.
Family life, with the useful details left in
Family & caregiver support
A clearer handoff. A manageable day out. Something good just for you. Find a practical starting point, or settle in with a story from our own family.
What would help today?
Share the care.
Make the next few hours clear for the person taking over.
Plan a day out.
Choose one good stop and keep the useful details close.
Make room for yourself.
A quiet hour, time for two, or a long-held wish. Start with something you would enjoy.
Find support.
For every role
Thrift-shop choice board
A free shopping picture board with Books, Clothes, Lamps, Baskets and useful words. Point, tap, speak a choice optionally, or save a one-page printable PDF.
For every role
Congdon’s choice board
A simple picture choice board for a Congdon’s stop in Wells, Maine. Choose doughnuts, say no, ask for help or a break, and download two printable pages.
For every role
An AAC-friendly outing note
A short handoff can help staff, hosts or activity leaders understand how to communicate without turning a person’s private history into a public briefing.
For every role
The caregiver handover, made useful
A practical caregiver handover with a short template, an arrival check, current-plan safeguards, privacy boundaries and a clear return of responsibility.
For every role
A short plan you can actually use.
Three fill-in tools for an ordinary week: a leaving-the-house card, a one-good-thing day plan and a household handoff. Fill them here, copy them or print a blank set.
For every role
The familiar-food plan for days out
The goal is not a perfect restaurant experience. It is knowing what food is available, what you can bring and what the backup is before hunger turns into the hardest part of the day.
For every role
Five, fifteen or thirty minutes to a more usable home.
A room-by-room reset for the time and energy actually available. Start with the walking route, make one space useful and stop at a clear finish line.
For every role
Communication is an ecosystem, not a device.
A practical, evidence-informed field guide to multimodal communication: speech, gestures, signs, gaze, objects, photos, AAC, typing, scanning, low-tech backups, communication partners, and using what is already around you.
For every role
Their interests. Their choices. The help they need.
An older teen can need substantial support and still want a say in clothes, activities and everyday life. Begin with the person, then make the practical details work around them.
For every role
A good swim, from the first towel to the last dry sock.
A practical, age-respectful pool plan for older teens: arrival, changing, communication, water supervision and an easier way home.
For every role
Support needs are real. So is the rest of the life.
High support needs are part of everyday family life here. So are preferences, humor, privacy, favorite places and the pleasure of a day that works.
For every role
Build a quiet-break plan before you need it
A break works better when nobody has to invent it in the middle of a crowded place. Decide where, how and what comes next while everyone is still calm.
For every role
The shorter-visit plan
Decide the small version of the outing before you arrive. It makes leaving a valid part of the plan instead of something that feels like the day went wrong.
For every role
Dear An AUsome Life: what should the invitation say?
An editorial example about welcoming guests with clear timings, access details and room to ask privately for what they need.
For every role
Dear An AUsome Life: the family plan is too much
An editorial example about proposing a smaller gathering clearly, without turning private support needs into a family debate.
For every role
Prepare for an IEP meeting in three short sittings
A calmer way to gather your thoughts, choose your priorities, and arrive with a manageable plan.
For every role
We used to bring muffins. What do we do on video?
An example question about keeping the warmth of an in-person meeting while making room for clear requests.
For every role
A one-page parent agenda you can actually use
A compact template for holding onto your priorities when the meeting begins to move quickly.
For every role
Choosing an advocate: the questions behind the title
A thoughtful way to compare experience, judgment, fees, and fit before you hire help.
For every role
Your first month with an advocate
A small working agreement can prevent crossed wires, surprise bills, and confusion about who speaks for the family.
For every role
A school-paperwork system for real life
Five folders, consistent filenames, and a short index can make the next document easier to find.
For every role
The useful follow-up note after an IEP meeting
A short record of your understanding, open questions, and next steps, with an adaptable email template.
For every role
Ask for the meeting access you need
Practical language for interpretation, readable materials, usable technology, breaks, and a clearer pace.
For every role
School emails that are warm, clear, and answerable
A simple structure for turning a long worry into a specific request without minimizing its importance.
For every role
Keep the student in the conversation
Make room for preferences, communication, and dignity when the adults have a great deal to discuss.
For every role
Your picture. Your words.
700+ picture communication cards. Search everyday pictures, edit labels, use your own photos, download PNGs and print a set. Free and no sign-in.
For every role
Make the note that helps the next person get it right.
Make a printable communication note or blank handoff sheet using the words, signals and support that work for the person today.
For every role
A few things we can count on.
Simple family agreements, communication access, choice and clear handoffs.
Fathers & paternal roles
The paternal field notes
Practical field notes for fathers and people in paternal roles: simple shared activities, an adaptable football plan, everyday responsibilities and clear handoffs.
Mothers & maternal roles
The maternal field notes
Practical field notes for mothers and people in maternal roles: shared rituals, clearer handoffs, everyday support and room for a life beyond coordination.
Grandparents
The grandparent field notes
Practical field notes for grandparents: comfortable visits, current interests, simple traditions, support you can offer and boundaries that keep plans workable.
Adult siblings
The adult-sibling field notes
A practical guide for adult siblings: ordinary time together, voluntary support, distance, clear limits and an honest start to future-planning conversations.
Extended & chosen family
The extended-family field notes
Practical field notes for aunts, uncles, cousins, chosen family and trusted friends: clear invitations, specific help, relaxed visits and respectful boundaries.
Partners & co-parents
The co-parent & partner field notes
Practical field notes for co-parents and partners: complete responsibilities, everyday handoffs, changing plans, separate households and time together.
Support professionals
The support-professional field notes
Practical field notes for direct support professionals, personal assistants and paid caregivers: a clear start, everyday choices, professional boundaries and useful handovers.
Respite & support partners
The respite & support-partner field notes
Practical field notes for respite providers and agreed support partners: first visits, reliable coverage, familiar activities, communication, boundaries and a clear return.
For every role
A date at the Gardner.
A date at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, with our own photograph, practical caregiver planning, admission savings and museum accessibility notes.
For every role
A good day starts here.
An editable photo-by-photo outing plan. Local photos stay on your device; print a plan that fits your family.
For every role
A little lake time.
Fall foliage, lakeside boats and a rainbow: a lovely Rangeley, Maine getaway from our family's photo album, with practical notes for planning a visit.
For every role
A little self-care, courtesy of Mr. Las Vegas.
A bucket-list evening seeing and meeting Wayne Newton at Flamingo Las Vegas, plus real-world questions about VIP tickets, seating, sensory needs and access.
For every role
Energy is an access resource.
Why protecting energy can be part of accessibility and inclusive family travel.
For every role
Get in the photograph.
For the mother who plans the outing and takes the pictures: a reminder to get in the photograph, with a moment from our own family album.
For every role
Picture cards for a history outing
Twelve printable picture cards for a history outing, including old house, chair, history book, map, look, walk, car, more, help, stop, break and all done.
For every role
Small outings count.
Why a short outing can be the whole outing — with real family examples from New England.
For every role
A little clarity.
221 plain-English terms for caregivers: high-support and profound autism, AAC, apraxia, sensory needs, reinforcement, consent, safety and IEP meetings.
For every role
The picture-card collection.
700+ picture communication cards. Search everyday pictures, edit labels, use your own photos, download PNGs and print a set. Free and no sign-in.
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From our family album
Good things belong here, too.
Family life includes the planning, and the memories you make along the way.
Time for yourself
A night for me.
Meeting Wayne Newton, a bucket-list wish, and an evening worth making room for.
Motherhood & memories
Get in the photograph.
A reminder to be part of the family pictures you work so hard to keep.
Time with grandparents
A little lake time in Rangeley.
Autumn water, familiar company, and room to slow down together.
Find the guide that fits you.
These are starting points for shared time and practical support. Role names do not assign duties by gender, biology or household structure; you may find useful ideas in more than one.
- Mothers & maternal roles
Shared pleasures, a whole-job handoff and time that is not entirely taken up by coordination.
- Fathers & paternal roles
Breakfast, practical projects, a twenty-minute ball game and everyday responsibilities carried through.
- Grandparents
A comfortable welcome, current interests and small traditions that can change with the person.
- Adult siblings
Ordinary sibling time, voluntary support, clear limits and a careful start to future planning.
- Extended & chosen family
Useful invitations, specific offers and an easy way to join the day without taking over.
- Co-parents & partners
Complete responsibilities, clearer transitions and arrangements that fit one home or two.
- Paid caregivers & direct support professionals
A clear start, real choices, professional boundaries and records the next person can use.
- Respite & support partners
A prepared first visit, familiar activities, dependable coverage and a clear return.
Start with the person.
Ask what sounds good today. Make the available options understandable, using the person’s familiar communication and support. A person may want company, help with one part, time nearby or space on their own.
The NJC Communication Bill of Rights affirms that people should be addressed directly, have meaningful choices and be able to express refusal. Keep those possibilities visible in the plan.
Be clear about the help being offered.
Being present does not automatically make somebody responsible for transport, personal care, money or supervision. Confirm what each supporter has agreed to do, and keep any required training, permissions and current instructions in place.
Match the handoff to the task.
The caregiver handover covers choices, communication, current instructions, contacts and a clear transfer of responsibility. For an ordinary household task, use the smaller household handoff card. Share private information only with the people who need it, through an appropriate private channel.
Choose one thing to try.
Choose one small idea together and decide when it could fit. Afterwards, ask what to repeat and what to change. If the activity was not wanted, choose something else next time. Keep the person’s current support and safety arrangements with the plan.
Stories & useful next steps
Keep exploring.
Family story
A date at the Gardner
Time for two, one lovely stop, and the practical museum details.
Practical guide
Disabled parking & placards
Find the New England application links and passenger-use guidance.
More stories
Read the journal
Real family days, favorite places, and small things worth noticing.