Paper! Paper! Paper! Files! Reports! Forms! Applications! Re-applications! Lost Paper! More Paper! Many years ago, someone I used to know said I was lazy and not contributing because I didn't have a real job. AofA is certainly real. And the paperwork required and generated by my three daughters with autism could choke a herd of hungry goats. It's bad during the school years as IEPs and interim meetings and reports pile to the ceiling. If you think it ends upon graduation, I hate to give you a paper cut, but nope, it just changes. If your child receives state or Federal programming, the paperwork accelerates. Mountains of medical records, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Medicaid Waiver, Day program paperwork, Guardianship reports, Able account management, employment assistance, every aspect of life makes paper! And emails.

Miss a deadline? Not good. Your loved one can be dropped from an important program without your even knowing it. And no one tells you how to navigate the system. NO ONE. I know families who have every IEP in neat binders through the schools years. Scanning digital files has made record keeping a bit easier. Just don't let your hard drive crash.  Do you have a system?