MASSACHUSETTS LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISMThe Department of Mental Retardation and the Massachusetts Office of Medicaid have launched a new program of services for children with autism, which will provide individualized in-home and community services initially to a pilot group of 80 children under the age of nine and their families. The participation of the child's family will be an integral part of the therapeutic services. If the pilot is successful, the goal is to expand and replicate the program. Please note: to be eligible for the first group of 80 available slots enrollment forms must be postmarked November 5th - 16th. The 80 participant children will be selected by a geographic lottery. Program Highlights: This Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Program is a Medicaid program designed to provide services to help children with autism to remain in their homes and actively participate in their families and in their communities. This Waiver Program is designed to provide one-to-one behavioral, social and communication based interventions through a service called Expanded Habilitation, Education to children under the age of 9 with an autism spectrum disorder. The waiver will also provide related support services such as community integration activities and respite. The goal of Expanded Habilitation, Education Service is to help support children who demonstrate significant deficits in the areas of behavioral, social and communication skills as a result of their autism. The service consists of one-to-one interventions developed and monitored by a trained clinician that will be carried out in the child’s home and community. Expanded Habilitation includes, but is not limited to, behavioral approaches such as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), Developmental and Relational Models such as Floor Time and Communication Models. Expanded Habilitation Services, Education should help children develop basic adaptive skills, elementary verbal skills and appropriate interactive and play skills. The Waiver Program will use a service delivery model called Participant Direction in which the parent takes the lead in designing the program and selecting service providers based on the child’s assessed level of need. Each family will receive support from a designated staff person, an Autism Support Broker, at one of the seven DMR funded Autism Support Centers and from a Targeted Case Manager at the Autism Division. Eligibility The applicant child:Waiver Program Eligibility Request Forms can be MAILED (NOT HAND DELIVERED) to:1. must have a confirmed diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder, which includes Autistic Disorder, PDD-NOS, Rhett’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome, subject to verification by the Department of Mental Retardation.
2. has not yet reached his/her 9th birthday.
3. is a resident of Massachusetts.
4. must be found by the MassHealth agency to be eligible for MassHealth Standard coverage, based on Family income.
5. must meet the level of care required for services in an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) as assessed by the Department of Mental Retardation.
6. must be able to be safely served in the community.Those children selected through the lottery will be assessed to determine if the child is financially and clinically eligible to participate in the Waiver Program. If You Don’t “Make the Cut”AUTISM DIVISION, Att. Waiver Program Eligibility Request Forms, 500 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118.
Once the initial eligibility process period has been completed and the slots have been filled, all remaining Waiver Program Eligibility Request Forms received during the open eligibility process period will be retained with their sequence number. Forms received after November 16th will be accepted, and will be ordered on a first-come first- served basis, behind those received during the original eligibility process period, in the event a slot becomes available. The Application
The English version of the application may be downloaded at: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dmr/autism_waiver_eligibility_request_english.pdf
Family letters describing the program and applications are also available in Chinese, Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. Additional information can be found at: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dmr/autism_waiver_overview.rtf and the Autism Waiver Services main page: http://mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=7&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Disability+Services&L3=Services+by+Type+of+Disability&L4=Mental+Retardation&L5=Mental+Retardation+Support&L6=Autism+Spectrum+Services&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dmr_c_autism_waiver&csid=Eeohhs2 -Adapted from: News from Margolis & Associates e-mail, Harry S. Margolis October 29, 2007; and links from the Mass. DMR Autism Spectrum Services, Autism Waiver Services web-site: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dmr/autism_waiver_family_notice_english.pdf, http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dmr/autism_waiver_overview.rtf and main page: http://mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=7&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Disability+Services&L3=Services+by+Type+of+Disability&L4=Mental+Retardation&L5=Mental+Retardation+Support&L6=Autism+Spectrum+Services&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dmr_c_autism_waiver&csid=Eeohhs2
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The DMR-funded Autism Support Centers
Autism Alliance of Metrowest 14 East Central St. Natick Ma 01760 508-652-9900 Serving: Metrowest Autism Resource Center 71 Sterling Street West Boylston MA 01583 508-835-4278 Serving: Central MA Community Resources for People with Autism 116 Pleasant St. Easthampton MA 01027 413-529-2428 Serving: Western MA Community Autism Resources 2315 GAR Highway Swansea MA 02777 508-379-0371 Serving: Southeast MA TILL and Boston Families for Autism 20 Eastbrook Rd. Dedham MA 02026 781-302-4600 x 4835 Serving: Greater Boston The Family Autism Center 789 Clapboardtree Street Westwood MA 02090 781-762-4001 X 310 Serving: Norfolk County Area NSARC: The Autism Support Center 6 Southside Road Danvers MA 01923 978-777-9135 x2301 or 2302 Serving: Northeast MA
10/07