Hello ABA Fam!
Today’s blog post is for the autism mom who’s struggling to keep everything together. As your child’s primary caretaker and advocate, Autism Parents have lots of paperwork, data, and contacts to keep track of. One solution that’s been trending online is an Autism Care Binder, also referred to as an Autism Binder, Medical Binder, or Special Needs Binder. The idea behind this binder is to give yourself one location that can serve as a catch-all for all the information you need to hold on to. With a few simple tools, you’ll be on your way to creating a personalized Care Binder for your loved one.
The best part of creating your own Care Binder is that it can be customized to fit your loved one’s unique needs. There is no one-sized fits all solution to long-term care. We encourage you to use this blog post less as a how-to guide and more of a jumping off place. Hopefully, we can inspire you to make something that will be truly useful to your family.
What is a Care Binder?
A Care Binder is a binder that holds all information related to your loved one’s medical history. It could include information like diagnosis information, developmental status, medical contacts, a timeline of diagnosis and symptoms, family history, IEP info, and even behavior trackers.
The idea behind the medical binder is that it can be a tool for guiding conversations with medical professionals, therapists, and IEP teams. Every time you add a new professional to your team, they will have questions about your child’s care history. A Care Binder alleviates the needto keep all your loved one’s info in your head and gives you one place to put all the information you regularly need to refer back to. It is easily skimmable and organized so that you can easily answer questions that may come up.
A care binder might also include information about caring for your child. Teachers, daycares, and even grandparents who are not with your child everyday can use this as a guide for caring for your child’s unique needs.
Customizing for your Needs
No two families have the same needs. A child who has yet to receive a diagnosis but isn’t reaching developmental milestones needs different information in their binder than a child who received a diagnosis years ago but is moving schools and needs a new IEP. Don’t be afraid to customize your Medical Binder to the challenges facing your family at this moment.
You can create a Medical Binder Including Information Targeting:
- Getting an Autism Diagnosis
- Tracking Behaviors
- Medical Symptoms and Issues
- Therapies Received
Getting Started
To start, here are some of the supplies you might want to help you put together your child’s medical binder.
- A Binder. We recommend something at least 2 inches thick.
- Three hole punch
- Access to a printer
There are many additional items you might enjoy using to help you customize your care binder as you see fit.
- Tab dividers
- Plastic sheets
- Highlighters
- Stickers
What to Include
- Basic Medical Information
- Identifying Info like Legal Name, Date of birth, SSIN, Medicaid ID
- Primary Physician, Medical Record Number
- Allergy List
- Immunizations Records
- Surgery History
- Hospitalization History
- List of Providers
- Medical Specialists
- Clinicians
- Insurance Information
- Insurance Provider/Policy #
- Diagnosis Matrix
- List of Diagnoses, dates diagnosed, name of physician who gave diagnosis
- Symptoms Matrix
- List of symptoms, frequency, and intensity
- Medications
- RX number, Medication Name, Doses & Instructions, what the medication treats, description, prescriber
- Developmental Milestones
- When your loved one started walking, talking\
- IEP Information
- Classroom Accommodations
- Evaluations
- Behavior Plan
- Behavior Tracker
- Progress Reports
- Daily Routines
- Instructions for feeding, toileting, sleeping
- Likes and dislikes
- Reinforcers, interests, hobbies
- Stressors, behavior triggers
- Adaptations
- Tools and accommodations for daily living
- Passwords
- For patient portals, etc
Further Resources
We hope this article gets you off to a good start on creating your own care binder.
A few google searches can lead you to a multitude of unique guides to putting together a care binder for your loved one. Additionally, you may find templates, printables, and other resources that might be helpful to you while planning your Care Binder. Linked below are a few favorites we found while researching this subject.
https://www.research.chop.edu/car-autism-roadmap/using-a-care-binder-to-stay-organized
https://www.etsy.com/listing/610015386/autism-care-binder-printables
https://thinkingautismguide.com/2010/09/creating-special-needs-binder.html
About ABA-LLC
ABA-LLC is one of the largest suppliers of Behavior Support in the State of Kentucky. Since 2007, the agency has created innovative strategies to improve the lives of unique individuals. ABA-LLC works with around 190 contractors, each dedicated to building an inclusive culture that celebrates individuals of all abilities. No matter who you are, you can reach your goals at ABA-LLC.
ABA-LLC is set apart from its competitors by its uniquely person-centered approach. The agency strives to provide services from a place of deep love for the population they serve. Their work exemplifies the belief that every individual has a right to live a fulfilling and independent life integrated within their communities. There is no objective to change a person, but rather to give them the tools they need to succeed. B.F. Skinner summarizes this vision in his quote: “I’m not trying to change people. All I want is to change the world in which they live.” Learn more about us at https://aba-llc.com/