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Authors Posts by Cathy Barrick

Cathy Barrick

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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. 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.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The ODP Announcement 25-019, which was issued Friday, February 14, 2025, has been re-issued with a corrected link for the Provider P4P Data Submission Tool Link. The tool is available here. The link in the initial announcement was pointed to the Primary survey. The Primary survey is NOT the P4P Survey.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

Tablet on a desk - Newsletter

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-021. This communication is to inform entities that the Temple University Harrisburg Certified Investigator Program and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) have released a new issue of the quarterly newsletter, The CI Program Spotlight. CI Program Spotlight, Volume 2 Issue 1 may be found on MyODP’s CI Program Home page.

Please view the announcement for additional information and details.

This is a reminder that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be hosting Virtual Office Hour Sessions for Residential Providers on the submission process for Performance-Based Contracting (PBC). There will be no presentation from ODP — please come prepared with your PBC data submission questions.

Sessions will not be recorded, but new and/or common questions and answers will be added to the Frequently Asked Questions.

Audience: One person per Residential Provider. ODP recommends sending the person who is most closely working with the PBC data submission process.

Please register for 1 session only:

Note: If you are experiencing issues accessing the link, try right-clicking the link, selecting “Copy Link,” and pasting the link into your browser. If the problem persists, try a different browser.

StationMD has shared their next webinar for Pennsylvania, which qualifies for one training hour. If you would like to receive a certificate for your training hour after the webinar, please make sure you register for the webinar.

The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET.

The webinar will include:

  • General information about the STAT Waiver service in Pennsylvania;
  • A presentation from Co-Founder Dr. Deven Unadkat, entitled “Diabetes Diet: A Comprehensive Guide;” and
  • Additional time for Q&A.

Please register here.

Message from ANCOR:

ANCOR shares their new Medicaid Resource Center for targeted resources to aid in your education and advocacy efforts! Let’s work together to protect Medicaid funding from potential cuts!

The Medicaid Resource Center is a central location where you can find the most up-to-date information and resources. Included in the Medicaid Resource Center is a video Intro to I/DD Services, ANCOR’S most recent fact sheet Cuts to Medicaid Harm Disability Services, as well as highlighted reports and white papers on Medicaid trends and impacts of community-based services. In addition to the Advocacy Toolkit and the ANCOR Amplifier, please use these targeted resources available in the new Medicaid Resource Center to aid in your advocacy.

As a reminder, you can also still take our action alert urging your Senators and Representatives to reject any proposals that reduce federal Medicaid funding! Thank you and please do not hesitate to reach out if they can help in your outreach!

Lydia Dawson, JD
ANCOR | Vice President of Government Relations
571-932-5375

March 18, 2025
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Register Here

Interactive Session with Individuals and Families Using LifeCourse Tools to Explore ODP Services
The Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) invites individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism and their families to join in a virtual exploration and discussion with members of the Division of Policy and Program Innovation. These sessions are informal, meaning the conversation will not be recorded, and rules will be set before the session starts to ensure everyone feels comfortable and safe to provide questions and comments. The session will be held through Microsoft Teams.

Please note: This event is being held only for individuals and family members; this is not an event for someone who is only a professional.

What Will Be Covered?

This will be an interactive session incorporating the use of some of the LifeCourse Tools to explore how services and supports can fit into an everyday life. Through the use of these tools and the LifeCourse Framework, this session will provide time to discuss and discover what individuals and families want and need in their life and how services and supports can help.