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Tags Posts tagged with "AAW"

AAW

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-049. This announcement is to notify Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) and Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP) Behavioral Specialists as well as their supervisors that ODP’s Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) is expecting a synthesis of FBAs in the form of the ODP BSASP FBA Summary Report to be maintained in the file of participants receiving Behavioral Specialist Services (BSS) through the AAW and ACAP and submitted as part of the Behavioral Specialist Plan review process.

Please view the announcement and FBA Summary Report for additional details.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-044. This communication is to inform all interested stakeholders about the new assessment protocol that is replacing most of the previous assessments required for participants in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), effective July 1, 2025, and to announce a mandatory training for AAW Supports Coordinators (SC) and SC Supervisors.

Beginning with assessments conducted on July 1, 2025, participants in the AAW will no longer be assessed using the SIB-R, Quality of Life Questionnaire, Baseline Outcomes, or Parental Stress Scale. All participant ISPs with plan effective dates beginning October 1, 2025, are subject to the new assessments.

All AAW participants will be assessed using the following five assessment tools, all of which are completed via QuestionPro:

  • Autism Supports Assessment Protocol (ASAP);
  • Periodic Risk Evaluation (PRE);
  • Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale (W-ADL);
  • Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd Edition (SRS-2); and
  • Online Readiness Checklist.

Mandatory Training for AAW SCs and SC Supervisors on New Assessment Protocol

SCs and SC Supervisors are required to register for and attend one of the following two training sessions. Content is the same for both sessions, so attendance is only mandatory for one session.

Please review the announcement for additional information and details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-029. This communication notifies Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) SCs, SC supervisors, providers, and other interested parties of the updated AAW Updated Individual Support Plan (ISP) Signature Form (DP 1032 AAW).

The updated DP 1032 AAW is required for all initial ISPs and annual review meetings and should be used effective immediately. The form is available on the MyODP website.

Please view the announcement to access the updated form.

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TOPIC — Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application

Over the years the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations. This seminar will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the seminar.

Who should attend?

  • Direct Support Professionals, Front Line Supervisors, and Program Managers supporting individuals with autism in residential and other home and community-based settings; and
  • Professionals supporting individuals in Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), Consolidated Person/Family-Directed Support Waiver (P/FDS), and Community Living.

Where and when will sessions be held?

  • April 1 PaTTAN East, 10:00 am 3:00 pm
  • April 24 PaTTAN Central, 10:00 am 3:00 pm
  • April 30 PaTTAN West, 9:30 am 2:30 pm

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Frontline Supervisors (FLSs), and program managers.

This training also fulfills 6100 ongoing training requirements.

REGISTER

*After logging into your MyODP account, completion of the Demographics Form is required before being able to register for a session.

Please contact the Bureau of Autism Training inbox with questions.

TOPIC: Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview and Practical Application

Over the years the prevalence of autism has increased, Pennsylvania’s service delivery system for individuals with autism has expanded, and best practices to provide quality supports have emerged. To support the individual needs of each person with autism across the lifespan, an understanding of core characteristics must be established. It is also important to learn how the individual’s presentation of autism may change across settings and situations. This seminar will provide attendees with an in-depth presentation on core characteristics of autism and the impact of the characteristics on daily life, routines, and activities. A review of common terms and basic principles used to change behavior, teach new skills, and develop practical application of best practices will be included. Opportunity for discussion and engagement will occur throughout the seminar.

Who should attend?

Direct Support Professionals, Front Line Supervisors, and Program Managers supporting individuals with autism in residential and other home and community-based settings. Professionals supporting individuals in Adult Autism Waiver (AAW), Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), Consolidated Person/Family-Directed Support Waiver (P/FDS), and Community Living are encouraged to attend.

Where and when will sessions be held?

3 Locations, 1 session per location. 125-person max per session.

  • April 1 — PaTTAN East, 10:00 am 3:00 pm
  • April 24 — PaTTAN Central, 10:00 am 3:00 pm
  • April 30 — PaTTAN West, 9:30 am 2:30 pm

Registration will open in early March.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

  • This training satisfies the basic autism training requirement for Residential Performance Based Contracting measures CN-DD/Bx.01.1S and CN-DD/Bx.01.1CE for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Frontline Supervisors (FLSs), and program managers.
  • This training also fulfills 6100 ongoing training requirements.

Please contact the Bureau of Autism Training inbox with questions.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to ODPANN 25-017. There has been a change in the platform being used to host the listening sessions, and the previous links are obsolete. If you are currently registered, ODP will register you in the new platform, and you will receive a new link to attend via email. If you have not yet registered, please use the updated links below to register.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-017. This communication announces that ODP will be holding two webinars to give all stakeholders and interested persons the opportunity to voice ideas for updating and improving the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). ODP will take this opportunity to listen to stakeholders and use this input for the AAW 2026 renewal process, effective July 1, 2026.

Please review the announcement for additional information and details.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) providers are invited to participate in the AAW Provider Quarterly Incident and Risk Management meetings.

The meetings will be held for all Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers and Support Coordinators (SC) providing Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) services. Pam Treadway and Heather Easley will facilitate these meetings with the intent to provide updates on incident and risk management related activities, share AAW data, inform providers of any upcoming changes, review ODP expectations, etc. Providers will be able to network with one another and ask questions directly to the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP).

The upcoming meeting will include a discussion on risk mitigation activities. Behavior Support Services can be an effective means for mitigating risks. For that reason, we strongly encourage Behavior Specialists to participate in the meeting.

January 30, 2025
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Register Here

Multiple staff from a provider may attend but should register separately. Be sure to complete all required information to confirm attendance. A link to the meeting will be send prior to the scheduled meeting date.

Please contact the Provider Support inbox with questions.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has updated the AAW Provider Information Table to reflect the following updates:

  • The addition of the American Sign Language (ASL)-English Interpreter Service. This new service has been added to ensure effective communication for those participants that utilize ASL.
  • Residential Habilitation Provider Qualifications have been updated to reflect additions designed to ensure all residential providers are financially prepared, new providers have prior experience before delivering residential services, and services will continue without interruption when organizational changes occur at the executive level.
  • Assistive Technology devices that cost less than $750 do not require an independent evaluation by a professional certified by SHIFT, an online education and accreditation platform, but may be completed if the service plan team believes it to be beneficial.
  • Transportation service limit has been increased to $10,000 per participant’s service plan year, which includes both Transportation-Trip and Transportation-Public.
  • The Transportation service section has also been updated to include guidance previously released in ODP Announcement 24-005: Adding the Transportation Service to an Individual Support Plan (ISP) in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). The information also includes a change to how Transportation-Public is added to the ISP.
  • The Community Transition service has been updated to allow for non-recurring set-up expenses for individuals who are transitioning from another provider-operated living arrangement to a living arrangement in a private residence where the person is directly responsible for their living expenses.
  • The Career Planning and Supported Employment services sections have been updated to include information previously released in ODP Announcement 20-004: Clarifications and Training Requirements for Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Employment Services.
  • Other updates and changes to AAW services due to the January 1, 2025, Waiver Amendment.

Please view the announcement and table for additional information and details. New services, updated language, and changes to services are highlighted in gray in the table.