Hands-on lessons in money management help neurodivergent adults build confidence with everyday finances. — Photos: 123rf
For April LeBlanc, going to a bank was never easy.
LeBlanc, 45, has anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and a basic learning disorder. She would get nervous whenever she would have to deal with financial matters or go to a bank.
Her foster mother, who passed away in 2023, would often have to help when it came to finances, according to LeBlanc from Worcester, Massachusettes, the United States.
Now, LeBlanc says she feels more comfortable and confident when it comes to banking and other financial matters — all thanks to a six-week financial literacy class created by Seven Hills Foundation and Workers Credit Union in Massachusetts.
LeBlanc, along with 10 other neurodivergent adults, graduated from their six-week course in financial literacy recently.
The classes, which were held in Worcester, taught the adult students basic financial skills: how to write a check, how to talk to a bank teller and determining which financial items are important to keep.
A ceremony was held at the Workers Credit Union's Grove Street branch, with the students receiving certificates.
"I'm much more comfortable," LeBlanc said with a small smile "I learned to be more confident."
The classes began in September and took place on a two-week basis, according to Darren Brown, a case manager who works with LeBlanc.
A favourite class among the students was "keep or toss" where they had to figure out which items were important to keep and which ones could be thrown away.
Another exercise the students did was determining what kind of "financial bird" they were. Examples include a peacock, who likes to flaunt their money or a crow, who stashes away money.
Brian Forbes, 27, of South Grafton in Massachusetts, said he wanted to take the classes because he wished to learn more about money.
Forbes has Down syndrome and he has a lemonade business.
"I am going to learn how to save money and not use it all," Forbes said.
Financial literacy classes help people learn to budget, save, and plan for the future.— Photo: 123rf
Timothy Johnson, Seven Hills adult day services' vice president, believes the classes were a success for the adults, all of whom are clients for Seven Hills.
Johnson said the classes give neurodivergent adults the opportunity to learn life and vocational skills. He noted that Forbes was able to be more connected with his peers thanks to the classes, becoming more engaged than he normally would.
"I think that something like financial literacy is an area that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities don't get as much support as they should," Johnson said. "When we give people the opportunity to demonstrate and to develop their skills, it furthers their independence."
The programme was created to help neurodivergent adults to have the confidence to be financially independent, according to Deborah Halperin Colbert, a spokesperson for Workers Credit Union.
"It goes without saying that people from all ages and backgrounds need to have a firm grasp about what it takes to balance a checkbook and budget monthly expenses," she said.
"People living with autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy can find handling money difficult, yet financial literacy classes are rarely offered to them because of their developmental differences."
Robert Remillard, one of the teachers and vice president of Community & Government Affairs, also believes the programme was very successful and that the students made efforts to improve upon skills they want to learn.
"In this class, they tell us what they want to learn," he said. "And they are going to use these tools moving forward."
Because of the programme's success, another set of classes will be established later this year, according to Johnson.
As for LeBlanc, she says she's ready to go into a bank without worrying at all.
"More confidence," she said, smiling. – Masslive.com/Tribune News Service
