Financial Planning Among Parents of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Parents of kids with IDD worry about money but aren’t using ABLE accounts—ask about financial barriers and connect them to ABLE enrollment help.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Agarwal et al. (2023) sent a survey to parents of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
They asked how much parents worry about money and what steps they take to plan.
The survey also checked who had opened ABLE accounts and what barriers stopped them.
What they found
Most parents said they worry about money a lot.
Few had started an ABLE account or any special savings plan.
Parents listed many roadblocks: confusing rules, lack of time, and fear of losing benefits.
How this fits with other research
Goodwin et al. (2012) showed single mothers of children with developmental delays face deep poverty.
Rumi’s team widens the lens: even when families know about ABLE, they still don’t act.
Cai et al. (2024) found autistic adults also struggle with money, linking low income to poor money habits.
Together the three studies trace one story: financial stress starts early and lasts a lifetime.
Why it matters
You already teach daily living skills. Add one money question to your caregiver intake: “Have you opened an ABLE account?” If the answer is no, hand them the state ABLE enrollment phone number. This five-second step can protect future independence for both the child and the family.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one checkbox to your intake form: “Parent wants help opening an ABLE account Y/N.” If yes, email them the state ABLE sign-up link before the next session.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience significant financial hardship, which could improve through financial planning and utilization of accounts such as the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE). Unfortunately, current rates of banking are low among individuals with disabilities, and no study has examined this phenomenon specifically among families of children with IDD. In this cross-sectional study, 176 parents shared their financial planning and utilization experience. Findings indicate that parents worry about their child's financial future, however, paradoxically, are not engaging in financial planning. Utilization of ABLE, checking and savings accounts, and special needs trusts are also low. Parents reported several programmatic and personal barriers which could inform immediate programmatic changes and long-term policy considerations.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-61.3.211