Not sure where to start? Call 724.847.6225 and ask for an Intellectual Disability / Autism (ID/A) Specialist or to schedule an intake, call 724.624.7304.
Did you know that UPMC – Beaver County Crisis has moved?
My child has Intellectual & Developmental Disability / Autism.
What Happens Next?
Intellectual and Developmental Disability/Autism services are administered through the Beaver County Behavioral Health Administrative Entity. This county MH/ID office serves as a referral source and determines a person’s eligibility for service funding and if found eligible a person will receive a supports coordinator. The supports coordinator will:
- Talk with you about what kinds of supports and services would be helpful to you.
- Offer you an opportunity to complete an application for the Medicaid Home and Community Based Waiver Program.
- If sufficient funding and capacity for services is available, your Supports Coordinator will:
- Enroll you in services which will require completing additional applications
- Help you develop your individual plan
- Help you talk with individuals or agencies in the community that could support you
- Coordinate and monitor supports and services
- If sufficient funding and capacity for services is not available, your Supports Coordinator will:
- Offer you the opportunity to complete a Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services (PUNS) form and place you on the waiting list
- Help to identify other types of community supports and services that would help you while you are waiting
What Types of Services are Available?
Services and Supports Directory – The Services and Supports Directory is a tool for individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, and the individual’s team to locate services and service providers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The directory can help you locate particular service providers or search for services and supports provided in an individual’s community. This directory does not include information on all providers, only those who have chosen to be listed. You may access the list of providers in the Services and Supports Directory on the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) website.
Available Services – There are a number of services that can be provided to meet the needs of an individual registered with the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) for intellectual disabilities services. This list of services is subject to change as service definitions change and waiver amendments are approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Intellectual Disability / Autism Services – Local Resources
Intellectual and Developmental Disability/Autism services are administered through Beaver County Behavioral Health Administrative Entity (BCBH AE). The BCBH AE office serves as a referral source and most services are delivered by local agencies under contract with the county office. The BCBH AE office determines a person’s eligibility, and if found eligible the person will receive a supports coordinator. Eligible individuals with an Intellectual Disability or Autism who are current residents of Beaver County are eligible for supports coordination services at no fee.
Eligibility Criteria for Services through Beaver County Behavioral Health Intellectual Disability & Autism Program
Summary of Beaver County IM4Q Program – Fiscal Year 2021-2022
Reference Materials:
The Community of Practice:
Supporting Families across the Lifespan through the LifeCourse Framework
Provided by PA Dept. of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs
This Fact Sheet explains The Core Belief of the LifeCourse Framework as well as strategies for supporting people with disabilities and their families. Includes website links for more information.
Home and Community Based Services and Waivers
(Provided by BCBH)
This document explains Waivers (funding), Waiver Services, and how individuals registered with the BCBH Administrative Entity may be eligible for the waivers.
Prioritization for Urgency of need for Services (PUNS)
(Provided by BCBH)
This document explains the PUNS Form is a tool used to gather information about the needs of a person who has requested intellectual disability/autism waiver services. It identifies the supports and services a person is currently receiving. It also identifies unmet needs, classified as either an Emergency, Critical, or Planning.
Supports Coordination
(Provided by BCBH)
This document explains Supports Coordination as every person registered with Beaver County Behavioral Health Administrative Entity (AE) receives Supports Coordination services. When an Intake and Eligibility Coordinator meets with you, they will talk to you about choosing a Supports Coordination Organization (SCO). The SCO you choose will connect you with a Supports Coordinator (SC).
PA Link to Community Care website
The PA Link to Community Care website is designed to help persons with disabilities and seniors find information that will connect them to supports and services in their community.
Applying for Autism Services in Pennsylvania
A checklist for applying for services through your county
When applying for autism services in Pennsylvania with your county, use this checklist to ensure you have the correct information and documentation.
Note: This checklist is a guide. You might be asked for other documents or information.
If you do not have documentation of an autism diagnosis or proof of adaptive functioning, the county will
provide you with resources that will assist you in obtaining the necessary assessments.
If you have additional questions, please Beaver County Behavioral Health. (See Local Resources below.)
Functional Eligibility Criteria for Office of Developmental Programs (ODP)
Waivers and Programs
To be eligible for waiver services, a person has to show that they need a certain level of support in order to live and work in the community. The level of support is measured by having substantial limitations in 3 or more major life activities. This document explains.
Medicaid Waivers/Programs for Adults with Autism in Pennsylvania
Are you looking for more information about Medicaid-funded programs for adults with autism in Pennsylvania? Learn about the options and how to apply.
Medicaid Waivers/Programs for Adults with Autism in Pennsylvania
What services are being offered?
Are you looking for more information about the home and community-based services offered in the Medicaid-funded programs for adults with autism in Pennsylvania? Click here to learn about the program options and services offered.
Applying for Services through Your County
In Pennsylvania, every county has a Mental Health/Intellectual Disability (MH/ ID) office. The MH/ID office in your county is where you go to enroll yourself or your child in many different mental health or developmental services. This resource will help you learn about how your county MH/ID office can help you apply for and get the services and supports that you or your child needs if you are found eligible.
What to do while waiting for a waiver?
(Provided by BCBH)
This document provides a general overview of how to prepare and specific documentation that your family member will need in the event that a waiver slot becomes available. Please contact your supports coordinator for more detailed information.
This document, provided by Beaver County Behavioral Health, will help you work on your vision for a good life.
Transition to Adult Life
(Provided by BCBH)
In Pennsylvania, school districts are required to begin completing the transition planning section of a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at the age of 14. This is the time students and families should start thinking about and planning for life after high school. Services may be offered, by the school district outside of the traditional classroom setting, while youth are still enrolled, usually until the age of 21.
This document, provided by Beaver County Behavioral Health, explains the process.
Transition Discoveries
Your Voice – Your Story – Your Future
Through the power of collaboration, young people, families, and the stakeholders who support them can work together to form successful practices for transition to life after high school! Visit our About Us page to learn more!
The LifeCourse Framework
Core Belief: All people have the right to live, love, work, play,
and pursue their life aspirations in their community.
Video: Helping Families Articulate What They Need
The Charting the LifeCourse framework was created to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live.
Video: Charting the LifeCourse: An Introduction to the LifeCourse Framework
In this 18-minute video, you will also learn about each of the principles and why they are important to supporting your “good life.”
The LifeCourse Key Principles
Downloadable Quick Reference Tools for the Framework
Local Resources
ACHIEVA
ACHIEVA – Beaver County
105 Route 18
Beaver Valley Mall
Monaca, PA 15061
724.775.1602 (phone)
724.775.2905 (fax)
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest provider of lifelong services and supports for people with disabilities and their families. Located in Beaver Valley Mall, their Office Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ACHIEVA provides the following services:
Advocacy & Family Supports
“A Home of My Own”
Early Intervention
Employment Supports
Home Care
Preschool Readiness
Recreation
Residential Supports
Beacon Health Options (formerly “VBH-PA”)
P.O. Box 1840
Cranberry Township, PA 16066-1840
Toll-Free Member Number: 1.877.688.5970
Managed behavioral health services for Medical Assistance (MA) recipients in Beaver County and 12 other Western Pennsylvania counties as part of the HealthChoices program.
Provider Directory and Resource Guide for Beaver County HealthChoices Members
Printable BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCE GUIDE (provided by Beacon Health Options of PA)
ReferralConnect – Search online for Individual Doctors, Counselors, Groups, Clinics, Hospitals, Programs, Search Tips, and FAQ
HopeWorks-PA, LLC
3572 Brodhead Rd., Suite 103
Monaca, (Center Twp) PA 15061
724.709.7867
Psychological Evaluations for Wraparound, MST, Family-Based Therapy and Diagnostic, Outpatient Therapy, Autism, and Developmental Testing, Individual Tutoring, Behavioral Health Evaluations, Educational Advocacy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, EMDR, Community Outreach
Pressley Ridge School for Autism
514 Marshall Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15214
412.322.0140 (phone)
412.321.5313 (fax)
NOW OPEN! The Pressley Ridge School for Autism is a Licensed Private Academic School that provides intensive social, behavioral, and academic interventions to children with Autism from ages 6 to 21.
Wesley Spectrum / Wonder Kids (WK)
Now available for Beaver County Residents!
A social skills group for children ages 5-21 provides therapeutic and social relationship interventions designed to teach and enhance age-appropriate social skills for those who have an Autism Spectrum or Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder diagnosis.
PA Resources for Individuals and Families
PA Parent and Family Alliance
PROVIDERS: How can the Parent Alliance Help the Families You Serve?
Family Support Partners are just that, partners. They are highly trained parents who have raised or are raising a child (up to age 26) with challenges that may mirror the ones your families may be encountering. Family Support Partners will walk with them on their journey until they feel ready to walk on their own.
(Learn more / View / Print / Share a flyer by clicking on the blue link above.)
Kaleidoscope Family Solutions – PA
KFS Pennsylvania is a Medicaid-approved provider that supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We provide one-on-one supports in an individual’s home and community and specialize in the area of autism. We are qualified to provide services throughout the state of Pennsylvania.
Parent to Parent of PA
Because I have been where you are … I offer …
My listening ears
My experience
My time
My heart
Parent to Parent of PA
Links parents and family members of children and adults with disabilities or special needs on a one-to-one basis, according to conditions or concerns. These may include:
Physical disabilities
Developmental disabilities
Special health care needs
Behavioral health / mental health concerns
Foster care or adoption
Educational issues
(Services are free and confidential.)
1.888.727.2706
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
National Resources
Welcome to the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC)
The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) is the library of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). We collect, catalog, and disseminate the articles, reports, curricula, guides, and other publications and products of the research projects funded by NIDILRR. NIDILRR funds more than 250 projects each year that conduct research on a wide range of issues including technology, health and function, independent living, and capacity building.
https://www.naric.com/
(Learn more about NIDILRR.)
Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)
AIDD is dedicated to ensuring that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are able to fully participate in and contribute to all aspects of community life in the United States and its territories.
Phone: 202.619.0724
Email: [email protected].
www.acl.gov/programs/aidd/index.aspx.
Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)
AIDD is dedicated to ensuring that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are able to fully participate in and contribute to all aspects of community life in the United States and its territories.
Phone: 202.619.0724
Email: [email protected].
www.acl.gov/programs/aidd/index.aspx.
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly AAMR)
AAIDD promotes progressive policies, research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Phone: 202.387.1968
www.aaidd.org.
The Arc of the United States – National/State Chapters for Developmental Disabilities
Toll-Free: 800.433.5255, 202.534.3700
http://www.thearc.org/
National Autism Association
Autism & Wandering Prevention Tips
(promoting safety in the home & community)
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)
NACDD’s mission is to provide support and assistance to member Councils in order to promote a consumer and family-centered system of services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Phone: 202.506.5813
State and Territory DD Councils: nacdd.org/councils/
www.nacdd.org.
National Association of States Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS)
Phone: 703.683.4202
State Agencies: www.nasddds.org/state-agencies
www.nasddds.org
Visit our Beaver County System of Care webpage:
Additional Resources – Autism and other Special Needs
Help with education, advocacy, increasing independence, building financial security, support for parents and families, and other web resources. Click here.
Return to our Beaver County System of Care webpage:
Early Childhood (ages 0-5)
A webpage providing resources and reference materials as well as available services for families of young people ages 0-5. Topics include mental health, inclusion, early childhood education, suspensions, expulsions, and developmental milestones. If needed, Early Intervention Support Services are discussed. Click here.