ABA emergency supply kit skills can support following current local guidance, identifying likely disruptions, choosing a storage and carrying plan, gathering water, food, light, communication, hygiene, document, health, and comfort supplies, checking expiration and power needs, and replacing used items. The person, household, medical team, emergency authority, and product instructions control decisions within their respective roles.
Build from local hazards and the person's needs
Use current emergency-management guidance for the location, home, transportation, weather, evacuation routes, shelter options, and household. Add person-specific communication, mobility, sensory, dietary, medical, temperature, caregiver, service-animal, cultural, and privacy needs.
Create a usable kit
Ready.gov's kit guidance provides a general emergency-supply starting point. Organize supplies by purpose and who uses them. Mark the location in an accessible format, keep weight and reach in mind, and prepare smaller home, travel, or work versions when useful.
Protect communication and health supports
Include charging options, tested backup communication, printed contacts, and instructions that the person can access. The ASHA AAC portal supports continued access to tools or devices. Medication, oxygen, refrigeration, nutrition, and other health planning require the prescribing or responsible professional's current instructions.
Track condition, ownership and rotation
For each supply, record quantity, owner, storage location, expiry or test date, replacement trigger, and access requirement. Keep sensitive documents and full identifiers protected. A visible gap should retain an owner and due date instead of disappearing from a percentage.
A practical example
Emery checks 16 preselected kit categories. Twelve are present, current, reachable, and understood. Two communication backups fail testing, one food item is expired, and one document copy is outdated. Readiness is 12 of 16, or 75%. All four gaps stay on the replenishment list.
Questions families can use
Ask which hazards and destinations matter, what the person needs to communicate and stay safe, which professional instructions apply, who owns each supply, how the kit is carried, when items are tested, and how gaps are tracked. ABA emergency supply kit skills use tabletop checks without simulated danger.
Sources
Finni resources
