Arkansas Autism Partnership
Project Description:
Program Development
The Arkansas Autism Partnership (AAP) is a 1915c Home and Community Based waiver that was drafted by Partners for Inclusive Communities Staff and submitted by the Arkansas Division of Medical Services to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A three year pilot waiver approval was received on October 1, 2012. Services were initiated in December 2012.
Arkansas Act 1008 of 2015 authorized expansion of the AAP by 50 additional slots.
The reauthorization of the pilot waiver was requested from CMS in June, 2015.
CMS approval for a regular status 1915c waiver was received on December 7, 2017.
2019 legislation was introduced and passed to expand the program to add 30 additional slots and allow children on the waiting list to be enrolled in the program. This approval was received in May 2020. An additional 30 waiver slots were opened and the wait list, at that time, was cleared.
Purpose
The purpose of the AAP is to provide intensive, early intervention to young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders who meet the eligibility criteria:
Age must enter the program prior the childs 5th birthday
Diagnosis Autism diagnosis completed by a physician, psychologist and speech-language pathologist
Level of Care functional impact of ASD results in institutional level of care
Financial must meet financial eligibility for Arkansas, can utilize TEFRA eligibility criteria
Services are provided by community-based billing providers who employee the team consisting of the lead therapist, line therapist and consultant, who can be from a multidisciplinary background
Clinical Services Specialist provide independent fidelity review and Partners provides independent eligibility evaluations
All services are provided in the childs home and natural community settings
All children receiving services in the program have made progress based on the ABLLS-R data collected.
A data sampling of 121 AAP participants with an average length of service of 24 months revealed:
The average initial ABLLS assessment score was 205 objectives with the final ABLLS assessment score of 568 objectives
Total number of objectives acquired per child ranged from 13 to 1278, with an average of 362
Keyword(s):
autism waiver
Core Function(s):
Performing Direct and/or Demonstration Services, Performing Research or Evaluation, Continuing Education/Community Training, Demonstration Services
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
