HANDS in Autism IIACC, IIACC Meetings, Uncategorized

May 2019 IIACC Meeting

Needs Assessment: Novel Recruitment Methods

On May 9th, members of the Indiana Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (IIACC) met at the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis, IN for the spring quarterly meeting.

Agenda and Content Covered

There was a segment devoted to updating IIACC meeting attendees of what has been in motion since the February meeting:

  • Updates were made to the Indiana Comprehensive State Plan, with an open discussion about the the changes and ideas for sharing (who, where, how).
  • An information sheet about the IIACC was presented for review and comment to members. Points of discussion included “How well does it meet the audience needs?“, “What would you add or call out further?“, and “Based upon the audience you are representing or serve, what would you add or take away?“.
  • Progress on the Professional Learning Community (PLC) project was discussed alongside a new information/recruitment sheet.
  • Status report for the INformation Network included improvements to content organization and accessibility
  • Information about Local Community Cadres (LCCs) and the current revitalization and recruitment project that is underway was shared with an explanation of the overlap between the PLCs, LCCs, and IIACC as a whole.

The main focus for this meeting was recruitment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to take the Indiana Autism Needs Assessment Survey. We spoke about the need for such an outreach and potential obstacles to authentic and accurate communication with transition-age and adults with ASD who may experience difficulty communicating via spoken or written word.

As groups we used a card-sorting activity to gain feedback about where participants stood on various communication methods and modes. They were asked to rate each on their level of Interest, Accessibility, Appropriateness, Efficiency, and urgency.

To wrap up, attendees were updated on the highlight efforts of the DISI award, with this informational video:

Materials & References

Here is a list of downloads of resources presented at the meeting:

Be sure to join us for the next meeting on Thursday, September 5th, 2019. RSVP

HANDS in Autism IIACC, IIACC Meetings

December 2018 IIACC Meeting

For the last meeting of the year of the Indiana Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, we gathered to discuss the progress made in 2018 as well as goals for the coming year. We want to thank everyone who generously shared their time this year in an effort to accomplish the goals set for in the Indiana Comprehensive State Plan for Autism. Below is a summary of the discussion points from the meeting as well as links to referenced documents and resources. 

Recognizing Aura Roblero and GALA

The 2017 IIACC Driver of Innovative Service and Implementation in ASD (DISI) Award was awarded to a group dedicated to supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Spanish-speaking community – Grupo de Apoyo para Latinos con Autismo Indianapolis or GALA. Learn more.

Resources and References

Here are flyers you may use to distribute information, as well as links to materials mentioned during the meeting:

IIACC Annual Report

Get Involved

Surveys and suggestion forms

A large portion of the goals during this meeting was to solicit input from IIACC members about spreading information to stakeholders about the work we’re doing. If you did not have a chance to fill out any of these surveys, they will remain open until the end of December 2018.

IN Innovations

In addition to planning for the future, plans were laid out to improve the IN Innovations section of this website. Going forward, we would like to have ongoing highlights of groups and individuals that are supporting the goals in the Indiana Comprehensive plan. This is in addition to the DISI Award,which is a yearly recognition of an outstanding community member/group working to achieve at least one of the 8 goals.

Action Items

Professional Learning Community

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A professional learning community (PLC) is a network of groups that enable sharing and integration of diverse knowledge, experiences, perspectives, attitudes and practices.  This networking enhances creative thinking, resource development and sharing, idea generation, and program improvement. Shared passion, interest, understanding and work towards common goals fosters greater inclusion, diversity, and capacity for implementation than working in isolation.

 

While members will all bring varying levels of knowledge and experience, the value of the PLC is a safe learning environment, thriving on diversity and inclusion, in which all contribute, grow and learn. In a productive PLC, members share common interests, engage in joint activities and discussions, and exchange, critically evaluate and reflect on information.  They further develop and share resources to support and act on shared goals by developing new knowledge and tools for building capacity through dissemination and implementation leading to meaningful outcomes and progress.

PLCs are flexible, dynamic, and inclusive. They embrace learning. As a result they can create a change within an organization or larger community through:

  • New opportunities through sharing and valuing multiple perspectives
  • New solutions as a result of the inclusive environment that fosters inquiry, innovation and knowledge generation
  • Ongoing support of members to help develop capacity, innovation, risk taking, and community transformation as well as connect people, ideas, and actions towards meaningful progress and outcomes for individuals and families.

Ask for More Info or Join

Access Community Site

To access the Community Site:

  1. Submit the request to join (above)
  2. Create an IU guest account at https://ams.iu.edu/guests/GuestHome.aspx
  3. Send an email to hands@iupui.edu with the email address used for the account.
  4. Once added to the site, you will receive an automatic email invitation

Community Norms

We operate around the following governance principles:

  • participation
  • transparency
  • responsiveness
  • consensus orientation
  • equity and inclusiveness
  • effectiveness and efficiency
  • accountability, and
  • rules of engagement.

As part of the PLC:

  • Be open to all with an interest and who abide by community norms
  • Encourage the ongoing education of members and the deepening of expertise among members
Iryna Ashby Advocacy, Education, Health, IIACC, Research, Resources & Information

ASD: Assessing Needs for Information and Training in Indiana

HANDS in Autism® at the IU School of Medicine has been invited to conduct an analysis of the current resources and services related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Indiana. The results of this analysis will help to inform the comprehensive plan for collaboratively and strategically strengthening the supports among systems for families and individuals with ASD.

One component of this analysis involves the completion of a comprehensive needs assessment. We are seeking input from all perspectives, whether as a family member, individual with ASD, medical provider, school personnel, justice system employee, or other community service provider. For this assessment to be representative of the many stakeholder groups that support individuals with ASD as well as reflective of the needs of individuals with ASD themselves, we need participation from as many people and from as many viewpoints as possible. All responses will be confidential and only summary data will be shared with the state and as part of the report and recommendations provided to the state.

Please take a moment to complete the survey and feel free to also share this information with others who may provide insight. The survey will take approximately 10- 15 minutes to complete. If you are interested in completing a hard copy survey or know of others who may be interested in completing a hard copy version of the survey, let us know as hard copies are available upon request.

To complete the Indiana Autism Needs Assessment, click on the following link:
English Version – http://tinyurl.com/autismneeds
Spanish Version – http://tinyurl.com/spanishautismneeds

Featured Presentations

Supporting Families through the LifeCourse with Julie Reynolds, DDRS

Insurance and Advocating with Michele Trivedi, The Arc of Indiana

Indiana Systems of Care: Strengthening Our Communities with Jayme Whitacker, FSSA, DMHA and Christy Gauss, IDOE

Initiatives and Guidelines

Comprehensive State Plan on Community-Based Services for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Task Force for Assessment of Services and Supports for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities published a report on existing services, identifies gaps in services and proposes services that will help make people with disabilities more independent. Read

What is the Indiana Comprehensive Plan?

Indiana’s plan to improve conditions for those with autism has been outlined in the Indiana State Comprehensive Plan for Individuals with ASD.

Each action item noted under the goals below represent the priority action within these goal areas, as determined by the IIACC and workgroups. Other action items are also being addressed (see full Plan) but the priority areas enable a systematic and progressive approach towards stated action items.

Goals from the State Plan

Goal 1: HANDS in Autism(R) facilitates and coordinates the Indiana Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, as well as manages data collection and activities. HANDS reports on the status of services reflected in the Comprehensive State Plan.

Goal 2: To create the opportunity for all individuals with ASD and families to be supported by healthcare professionals who will listen and provide input. Medical professionals will develop a plan to address concerns with attention to access and coordinating care during services.

Priority Action : Identify committees and boards related to ASD as well as SOC and medical home initiatives that exhibit representation of leaders in ASD

Goal 3: To ensure service providers and families are knowledgeable of universal early screening, as well as the signs to identify ASD. Diagnosis would follow with a plan to refer individuals to coordinated service systems.

Priority Action: Identify and develop list of options available for the awareness/training of  med students, residents, physicians in early screening and identification in general and specifically with regards to family practitioners, nurse practitioners and physician assistants

Goal 4: For individuals with ASD to have access to integrated health, mental health, education and social services provided by qualified providers throughout their lives.

Priority Action: Develop a comprehensive list and set of annotated data of waiver providers, case managers, and other providers with info about expertise and payment structures

Goal 5: To ensure families and providers understand what is needed for the planning of successful transitions.

Priority Action: Identify and make available a standard set of information to disseminate across families, medical & school personnel, and individuals (middle to HS) to improve understanding about the transition  process.

Goal 6: To identify standards for accessible and affordable private and public insurance coverage for the entire life of an individual with ASD, as well as other mental health conditions.

Priority Action: Propose standard promulgated for oversight and enforcement of appropriate implementation of clinical services to IN policy makers and with suggested enforcement by legal/regulatory requirements.

Goal 7: This relates to the justice system and public safety, however, this group was not represented to finalize the goal and priorities for this workgroup. This will be updated once the priority is decided.

Priority Action: Identifying and recording standard topics/formats needed for training of first responders.

Nominate for DISI

Do you want to recognize an outstanding organization that:

  • Engages the community and promote innovative ideas in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder?
  • Embodies the IIACC’s mission, facilitate sharing of information on autism‐related activities?
  • Drives the implementation of services aligned with the goals in the Indiana Comprehensive State Plan?

Follow the link to the nomination form.

Download the nomination form in a Word format to review and prepare responses (if needed). Please make sure you transfer the responses into the online form.