Giving children an allowance is one of the most effective methods for instilling an understanding of using and saving money. As a family, parents can implement a set allowance schedule and amount. To enforce understanding of units of currency, you can get the amount in small bills and change and count the money together. If there are other children in the home who receive an allowance, you can make a game of presenting the money to each child as equals so that the disabled child feels comfortable with the process.
Making purchases is a basic and commonly used application for math that students with disabilities should learn. One way for families to introduce these concepts is shopping at stores. You can reinforce lessons learned in the classroom by having students make note of price comparisons. For example, an assignment for the week could be for students to check out the price of milk at their local grocery store. Students can then count out this amount with fake bills and change.
Banking is a necessity in adulthood, so using a bank is a life skill that should start being nurtured from home. To introduce these concepts, parents and disabled children can visit a bank to open a savings account. Check the statement once a month to note how much more money is being earned.
A variation of opening a formal savings account is to simply have a family piggy bank. Each member of the family can contribute to this bank by putting in loose change whenever possible. It might be a helpful motivator to have a purpose for the money in the bank. It can be something as simple as a visit to the movie theater or as elaborate as a family vacation. Every so often, parents can take time to count the money with their child to monitor how close they are to reaching their goal.