Autism Services

Community Support

Community Support helps a participant gain, keep, and improve skills needed to live in the community. the goal of this service is for the participant to need less direct help.

Systematic Skill Building

SSB uses evidence-based methods to help the individual acquire skills that promote independence and integration into the community, which are not behavioral in focus. While SSB develops a Skill Building Plan (SBP) based on the individual’s goals, the person providing SSB is not the primary implementer of that Plan. People who provide other supports such as Community, Support, Supported Employment, Day Habilitation, or Residential Habilitation are primarily responsible for implementation of the SBP. The SBP includes benchmarks for assessing progress. An individual’s SBP may address multiple skills, as appropriate to address different goals or objectives. Upon completion of the initial SBP, meets with the individual, family, SC, and other providers to explain the SBP to ensure all parties understand the plan, how to implement it, how to collect necessary data for evaluating effectiveness, and the importance of its consistent application. Aligning paid and natural supports in using the same SBP also promotes generalization of skills across different environments.

Behavioral Support Specialist

Behavioral Support Specialist (BSS) assess behaviors of concern by conducting a thorough evaluation of the behavior and all variables surrounding the participant by conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). Once the FBA is complete, the BSS develops a person-centered Behavior Support Plan (BSP) and a Crisis Intervention Plan (CIP). The Behavioral Specialist addresses behaviors that are disruptive, destructive and/or disturbing. The BSS trains all staff working with the individual on the interventions in the BSP/CIP in order to properly utilize the individualized techniques of the Behavior and Crisis Plan. The BSS provides ongoing supports to the participant and/or his/her family in the home, community, and work settings. The BSS monitors the individuals progress on the goals of the BSP by reviewing and analyzing monthly and quarterly data and by reviewing the results with the team.

The Behavior Specialist is authorized both direct and consult hours. Direct hours include time spent with the individual face to face, on the phone, on ZOOM, and assessing the individual for revisions of the BSP. Consult hours are used to train and collaborate with family members, friends, significant others, and team members. Consult time is also used to make revisions to the FBA,BSP/CIP and develop materials for teaching.

The BSS is available 24/7 for crisis intervention support, 7 days a week.

Respite

Respite services are direct supports that are provided to supervise and support individuals living in private homes on a short-term basis for planned or emergency situations, giving the person(s) normally providing care a period of relief when, for example, the individual may not want to attend a vacation, or the family member is not able to provide the needed support for the time being due to medical reasons.

Job Finding

The Job Finding service helps waiver participants in finding paid work in the community.

Job Finding includes finding a specific job that matches the participant's skills and interests with an employer's needs. Successful job finding is a permanent job placement where the participant has worked for at least 30 days.

If the participant also is getting Behavioral Specialist Services (BSS), then Job Assessment and Job Finding should be done in a way that includes using the behavioral support plan and the crisis intervention plan.

An example of Job Assessment and Job Finding is being tested for different job skills, sharing areas of interest or experience that might be helpful in a job, and applying for a job with an employer who has already been contacted by the job finding provider.

Supported Employment

Supported Employment provides ongoing help in keeping a job once the waiver participant has found employment

The Supported Employment service is used to lessen the need for help by supporting the participant in being successful at work without special aid or intervention. The service is provided for participants who, because of their disability, need ongoing support to function in a work setting

Supported Employment is delivered in a community job setting, either volunteer or paid, which includes co-workers who are not disabled.

An example of supported employment is having a staff member accompany the participant to work until they have learned the routine of the work place, to provide help in meeting and interacting with co-workers and employers, and to help the boss and co-worker to become familiar with the participant. Once this has been accomplished, the need for staff to accompany the participant becomes less frequent, but help will be available to provide extra support if needed.