The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The interactive symposium will involve discussion of resources, training processes, interagency collaboration, and measures comprising the tiered implementation framework for best practices and standards of care across adult service personnel and consumers. Efforts to progressively support implementation as well as the data and effective outcomes derived will be shared. Approximately 65% of young adults or 2 out of every 3 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) do not work for pay (Newman et al., 2009 as listed at Autism Now, 2013). This figure contributes to the unemployment rate of 14.1% for individuals with disabilities, which is twice as great as the unemployment rate of peers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2013).

While many individuals with disabilities have specific and employable talents that are characteristic for the type of disability (e.g., attention to detail, in-depth focus on the area of interest, precision, high motivation, punctuality, loyalty, and dedication to name a few), low employment rates can be partially attributed to low expectations by individuals with an ASD or DD and their caregivers or transition support staff (Autism Now, 2013), uncertainty in the criterion needed for the receipt of support, as well as lack of awareness and understanding of supports and strategies available to assist individuals at a workplace with further gaps in educating potential employers about these opportunities. The tiered implementation framework supporting implementation of best practices and establishment of standards of care for transition, vocational, and community programming addresses the current needs in a sequential, systematic nature through the provision of interactive, practical supports aimed at the tiers of services provided by the professionals and personnel within the divisions of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and in the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS).

At the foundation of the tiered implementation framework, primary activities centered around (1) establishment of common levels of awareness and frameworks for service, (2) exposure and practice with systematic strategies and tools, and (3) assessment of needs for training, support, and resources, across levels and in practice. Analyses of trends and profiles among groups and levels provided a common framework for supporting personnel across levels of service from VR and BDDS counselors to supervisors to service providers and case managers as well as extension to supports of potential and existing employers. Further goals and efforts to sustain implementation and programmatic changes have been driven through such data along with the development of a common training curriculum to move towards a comprehensive, standard and consistent approach firmly integrated and supported throughout the community with establishment of: (1) Standards of care, (2) a system of training suitable across a full range of staff, administrator and community providers and roles, (3) Standards of evaluation to hold staff accountable to training and maintenance of  knowledge, skills and implementation of the standards of care model, and (4) movement to create Standards for care, training and evaluation within state policies and procedures through partnership, involvement, input and influence of a network of state and community providers, managers, employers, families networked and representing a full range of interests and practice settings.

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