Special Needs Everything Binder: 3 Easy Steps To Create Your Own

Special needs parents and caregivers need to have a lot of information, history, contacts, and paperwork at a moment’s notice. This includes medical information, appointments, evaluations, school IEPs, contacts, and routines. If something ever happens to me, I need to know that Allie will be cared for in the best way possible. It’s also amazing how many people ask for proof of a diagnosis. So, having all those papers handy is really helpful. Having what I call the “Special Needs Everything Binder” has been a game-changer for me, so let’s do this!

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Special Needs Everything Binder Selection

I have one giant binder for Allie. However, knowing I’m a natural slob and tend to just throw papers in there until I have time to organize them, means I need a zipper or some kind of closure all the way around. I’m a messy girl (as you can see from my binder LOL! At least you know I’m human and not a robot).  With me, papers fall out if they don’t have an enclosure. I got my colorful cheetah zipper binder from Amazon. I got it several years ago and I can’t find it on there anymore, but the link provides a similar one. I like brightly colored patterns, so there’s no misplacing it or confusing it with someone else’s.

Due to having similar challenges as my child, I forget things a lot. The brighter and more colorful it is, the less likely I am to leave it behind somewhere.

Also, it’s important to get a big binder, one that can hold everything. As you can see, mine is a big 4-incher. Don’t make that sound naughty. LOL!

Determine Main Purpose

Once you have a big binder selected and know whether you need an enclosure, the next step is to determine its main purpose. Is it mainly for getting a diagnosis (if you haven’t yet)? Is it so that after you’re gone, the next caregiver knows exactly what to do? Or is it just a place to keep all special needs-related stuff?

For me, I needed a central location for all things related to Allie. This binder is a mix of everything, but mainly, I needed to keep important papers together and in a safe place. That’s because I’m famous for losing everything! I legit haven’t lost anything related to Allie’s diagnosis since creating this binder, though.

You might also want to include a spiral notebook and some pens. So many doctor’s appointments, so many therapies, so many notes! I have a place in the front that holds pens, appointment cards, etc.

Divider Options

Once you know your “why” for the special needs everything binder, you need to know what sections you need. For me, the first part of the binder is about Allie’s preferences, diet, medications, all of her specialists, and doctors.

In the middle part of the binder, I have a lot of socio-emotional printouts from Mindfulmazing. I absolutely adore them, and they have such great resources for special needs parents! There is a feeling wheel, activities for her anxiety, etc.

Then, the last part of the binder is where I keep all the school IEPs, report cards, medical referrals we are still waiting on, and DDD. For those not familiar, DDD stands for the Arizona Department of Developmental Disabilities. We are not on disability, but some people might need a section for Social Security or Community Help.

My Divider Tabs

If you need a very simple list of what I have in my dividers, feel free to copy me. Or, if you prefer customizing your own, that is totally fine, too! So,  here is a list of my dividers, from the front of the binder to the back:

• About Allie (diagnoses, preferences, diet, meds, routines, safe people, etc. In case something happens to me, I want this to be the FIRST page people see in the binder).
• Signs/Symbols (road signs, crosswalks, hospital signs, etc)
• Weather (a chart with temperatures, and how to dress for that particular weather)
• Tone of Voice
• Feeling Wheel
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Calendar
• Time
• Victories/Struggles
• School (IEPs, report cards, field trips, school breaks, etc.)
• Medical/Dental (doctors, specialists, therapies, referrals, medications & dosages with pharmacy, questions I want to ask docs, etc.)
• Diagnoses (I have a separate section just for the official evaluations and diagnoses. You won’t believe how many people ask me for the official paperwork! Keep a few copies just in case.)
• Contacts
• Notes

And that’s it! I would love to hear how you all keep organized. For paperwork, I use this binder. For appointment reminders, I use Trello. What do y’all use?