Support Services
Support Services Available for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
1. The Long Island Developmental Disabilities Services Offices (DDSO) provides a full range of services to families and individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Individuals with developmental disabilities are provided the opportunity to attain the highest level of independence through a choice of services including:
Camp
Day, evening, weekend, or overnight programs that provide recreation, social activities, and needed care for people with developmental disabilities.
Counseling
This includes Face-to-face, individual, group, or family therapy. This occurs in planned, structured sessions intended to help an individual or family gain understanding, resolve problems, improve communication, and address other issues of concern.
Crisis Intervention
Emergency intervention for people with developmental disabilities when they experience specific and time-limited problems that threaten to disrupt their living, school, or work situation.
Day Services/Day Habilitation Day
Habilitation services are delivered primarily in a non-residential setting separate from the person's home/residence with exceptions allowed to promote transition or adaptation. Based on the consumer's skills and interests, such services shall provide assistance with acquisition, retention or improvement of self-help, socialization, adaptive skills and development of manual and perceptual motor skills.
Training areas include mobility training, appropriate social behaviors, communication skills, basic safety skills, housekeeping, personal/health care, and money management with an emphasis on community inclusion.
Employment Services
Individualized supports to people with developmental disabilities, including: vocational training, job coaching, travel training, technological aids, counseling, job placement and other supports to assist in achieving or maintaining employment.
Supported Employment
Supported employment is a service providing supports for a person obtaining or being maintained in a compensated employment setting. Supported employment services may include training services provided at the work site or off-site. These include skill training that addresses job duty performance, related work behaviors, the effective and appropriate use of community resources and workspace and transportation.
Environmental Modifications (E-Mods)/Adaptive Equipment
This includes specialized equipment, or changes to the living or work environment (for example, wheelchair ramps, lifts, handrails, communication boards), that enable people with physical disabilities or limited communication to lead more independent lives.
Evaluation, Intake and Referral
Steps in the process by which people with developmental disabilities and their families apply for, identify and link to needed services and supports. An important step in this process is to establish eligibility for various services, benefits, and entitlements.
Family Care
A licensed residential program that provides a structured and stable home environment within a family unit to a person with a developmental disability, offering support, guidance and companionship. Family Care providers receive a monthly stipend to provide services within their house or apartment.
Family Support Services
A wide variety of services directed at parents, siblings and other relatives that enhances a family's capacity to continue caring for a family member with a developmental disability living at home.
Financial Assistance
Guidance and consultation to people with developmental disabilities and their families about sources of funding, benefits, and entitlements. Related services may include helping a family or individual deal with practical concerns like budgeting, bill paying, making major purchases, and banking.
Forensic Services
Direct case consultation and assistance to both criminal justice and human services staff regarding people with developmental disabilities involved with the criminal justice system. The New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) also provides specialized residential and treatment programs for some people committed to OMRDD custody.
Health Care
Medical, dental and other health-related services provided by clinics licensed by the NYS Department of Health or OMRDD, or provided directly by professional staff employed by OMRDD or not-for-profit agencies. Health-related early intervention services available in some areas include infant screening and nutritional consultation.
Housing/Individual Support Services
Assistance to people with developmental disabilities in locating, leasing or buying individualized living arrangements that are alternatives to traditional group living. Residential options include home sharing, independent living, HUD rental subsidy programs, low income home ownership programs, and other leasing and ownership initiatives.
In-home Services
A broad category of services provided in the home and tailored to individual needs, ranging from respite, training and supervision to intensive behavioral, health, and health-related services. See also Environmental Modifications/Adaptive Equipment, Family Support Services, and Waiver Services.
Parent Advocacy and Training
Support and education for parents and other family members related to people with developmental disabilities.
Recreation Day
These are evening or weekend programs offering leisure-time and social activities in which a person with developmental disabilities chooses to take part. Care and supports necessary for people with disabilities to participate are available.
Residential Services
Settings licensed by OMRDD to provide housing and related services, operated by either OMRDD or not-for-profit agencies. These settings include supervised group living (a home with 24-hour staffing and supervision), semi-independent (or "supported") group living (a home with less-than-24-hour staffing and supervision), and other residential options (typically, homes for 15 or more people with 24-hour staffing and supervision). See also Family Care, and Housing/Individual Support Services.
Respite Services
Services that provide temporary relief for families or other caregivers of people with developmental disabilities. Respite is offered in and outside of the home, is available during the day, evening, and overnight, is scheduled and time-limited, and is intended to allow families time for errands, vacations, and other planned activities.
Service Coordination
Assistance to people with developmental disabilities in gaining access to necessary services and supports appropriate to their needs and life goals. It is provided by qualified service coordinators and uses a person centered process to develop, implement and maintain an Individualized Service Plan (ISP).
Transportation
Individual and group transportation options to transport people with developmental disabilities between home, work, and leisure activities.
Waiver Services
A flexible array of services and supports funded by Medicaid that includes residential habilitation, day habilitation, pre-vocational services, supported employment, respite services, environmental modifications, adaptive equipment, plan of care support services, family education and training, and consolidated supports and services. See also Day Services/Day Habilitation, Employment Services, Environmental Modifications/Adaptive Equipment, In-home Services, Residential Services, and Respite Care.
For more information:
Long Island Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO)
Primary Address: 45 Mall Drive, Suite #1 Commack, NY 11725-5700
Primary Phone: (631) 493-1700 or (631) 493-1701
Primary Fax: (631) 493-1803
DDSO Online
2. Vocational Services: New York State Education Department Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) starts with the presumption that all persons with disabilities can benefit from vocational rehabilitation services and should have opportunities to work in jobs integrated within their communities.
Hempstead District Office: (516) 483-6510
Hauppauge District Office: (631) 952-6357
Riverhead Office: (631) 727-6496
VESID Online
3. Parent to Parent of NYS offers support, encouragement and practical tips for families. Matches a family with another family whose child has the same or similar disability. Locates a support parent in another area of the state if there are none in your area. Offers over 200 different disabilities that can be matched on a one-to-one basis. Offers information on community resources. Provides training for parents who would like to become volunteer. Provides presentations to professionals, parent groups and other community organizations. Offers a listing of support groups statewide if a group type situation is desired as well.
For more information:
45 Mall Drive Commack, NY 11725
Phone: 1-800-559-1729, 631-493-1716, 631-493-2403
Fax: 631-493-2397
4. Family Support Groups/CRISIS Contacts
Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum at The Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders
Patricia R. Schissel, LMSW, President (AHA Association)
Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism Association (AHA), Inc.
Phone/fax (516) 470-0360
PO Box 916, Bethpage, NY 11714
Email – info@ahaNY.org
Website – http://ahaNY.org
AHA conducts support groups for family members and individuals on the spectrum. Support groups address challenges families and individuals on the spectrum face adjusting to school, personal, family, and work over the lifespan. Support group meetings are held in Manhattan, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. For information call 516-470-0360 or check http://ahany.org/support.htm for support group meeting locations, dates, and times. All support group meetings are free and open, with no registration required.
Patricia R. Schissel, LMSW, President (AHA Association)
Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism Association (AHA), Inc.
Phone/fax (516) 470-0360
PO Box 916, Bethpage, NY 11714
Email – info@ahaNY.org
Website – http://ahaNY.org
AHA conducts support groups for family members and individuals on the spectrum. Support groups address challenges families and individuals on the spectrum face adjusting to school, personal, family, and work over the lifespan. Support group meetings are held in Manhattan, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. For information call 516-470-0360 or check http://ahany.org/support.htm for support group meeting locations, dates, and times. All support group meetings are free and open, with no registration required.
4300 Hempstead Turnpike Bethpage, New York 11714
Phone: (516) 802-8600 Fax: (516) 802-8655
E-mail
Crisis
EEDA Phone: 631-369-7345. E-mail EEDA
Overnight Respite/ Mobile Crisis Team/ Emergency Respite
The Cody Center Clinical Services
5 Medical Drive Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
Phone: 631-632-3070
5. The Office of Handicapped Services
Veterans Memorial Highway Building
158 North County Complex
PO Box 6100
Hauppauge, New York 11788-0099
(631) 853-8333
6. Additional Resources:
Autism Resources offers information and links regarding the developmental disabilities autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814-3067
(800) 3AUTISM / (800) 328.8476
Autism Networks Inc. is a leader in the field of professional staff development. We are the place to turn when you need professional staff training and consultation. No matter what state you are in, no matter what language the population you service speaks. We are able to handle all your staff training and consultation needs.
Autism Talk provides a forum to review issues related to autism.
About Autism provides current information and recent articles on autism inclusive of treatment information and recent research written in layman terms.
Wrong Planet is a web community designed for individuals with Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, and other PDDs. We provide a forum, where members can communicate with each other, an article section, where members may read and submit essays or how-to guides about various subjects, and a chatroom for real-time communication with other Aspies.
Use Visual Strategies: Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and lots of other students with behavior or communication challenges tend to be visual learners. They understand what they see better than what they hear. Therefore, they benefit significantly from the use of Visual Strategies. Deciding when and how to use pictures and other visual supports is the key ... Learn lots of great ideas here ...
GRASP - The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership: an advocacy organization serving individuals on the autism spectrum.
7. Recreation/ Activities
It is important to keep individuals with autism active and engaged in structured activities.Two web sites, Long Island and Long Island Online, provide a listing of activities across the island.
Sprout is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities and mental retardation grow through challenging and safe travel experiences. Based in New York City, our programs are available to people with MR/DD and the agencies that serve them throughout the United States.