Managing Money

An increasing area of focus within the curriculum (managing money NA). Managing money can be one of the most difficult concepts for teenagers with autism to understand and yet essential for future independence.

Activities to increase money awareness

• Coin matching and sorting (This is an example of a task to sort/match/categorise coins.  Coins are places on laminated card with Velcro.  Each page has a different coin and so the pupil has to put the coins from the right onto the correct page of the laminated book. This is the most basic level of money recognition and is a good starting point for increasing awareness of money)

• Estimating prices and values
• Matching coins to object
• Budgeting and prioritising pocket money
• ‘Next pound’ strategy

Money skills can be a difficult; topic for students with autism to assimilate and accommodate as it is an abstract concept. However, it is an important concept to teach and learn.

Money should be taught from a very young age as it often takes children with autism much longer to learn this skill area.

The National Autistic Society have developed a useful information on Money Management, see http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/managing-money.aspx and managing money NA.

See: http://www.scottishautism.org/services-support/support-individuals/accessing-bank for useful video’s on using the bank and protecting against fraud.

However, some teenagers and adults can still not understand the value of money and this leaves them vulnerable in shops as they may give too much money and not know to expect change.  For example, they may hand over £20 for a bar of chocolate and walk out without the change.  In this case, we use a strategy called ‘next pound strategy’.

Next Pound Strategy:

• Look at the first number and then add on one e.g. if an item is £3.56, look at the first digit (3) and add on 1 (3+1 = 4), and then knows to count out £4.
• This makes counting money easier.
• Practice using this skill in real life contexts.