General Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Intent and Communicating Your Wishes to the Guardians, Trustees and the Courts about Your Child

This type of a Letter of Intent is a document that you may prepare to help the guardians, trustees and the courts interpret your desires for your child. It is not a formal "legal" document, but most courts will generally look to it for guidance in understanding your child and your wishes. The courts tend to favor the family's wishes as long as they are not illegal or immoral. Should anything happen to you, the future guardians and/or trustees will have the information that will guide them in understanding your child's unique history and which will assist them in maintaining the quality and consistency of life which is so essential to any special child.

This Letter of Intent is a living document that should be updated and added to on a regular basis throughout your life. You may want to set aside an anniversary date to review your letter every year, and make needed changes. At other times events will require the letter to be changed immediately, such as noting a bad reaction to a specific medication. When you need to make changes you may only need to rewrite that portion of the letter. Placing the information on a computer for easy updates is one way to keep the document current.