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Tailored Professional Development for Licensed Care Staff to Support Community Living for Adults with Autism
Across the next decade, we can expect a 123% increase in the number of youth with autism transitioning out of school-based services (IACC, 2017). These increases have placed a growing demand on the service systems supporting transition-aged youth and adults and magnified the need for effective and...
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Preparing Autism Service Providers for Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies
When confronted with an emergency, people with autism spectrum disorder are at a greater risk for injury or death than their neurotypical peers. Many autistic children and adults lack safety awareness or the ability to follow basic safety rules. Even if they have these critical skills, each...
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Establishing and Promoting Self-Care Within a Human Service Agency
In an industry faced with post-pandemic staffing shortages, the question of how to promote self-care and decrease burnout among autism service providers has become more critical than ever before. Burnout can be defined as a work-related illness that results from ongoing psychological stress (Leoni...
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Unspoken Injuries: Supporting Health Professionals Coping With Client Loss
“I was delighted to get my first consultant job working in an in-patient [psychiatric] unit… In my second week, I had my first patient die by suicide. In my third week, I had my second patient die by suicide. In my third month, there was a very distressing…death by suicide on the...
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Interdisciplinary Approach to Obtaining a Medical Diagnosis for Individuals With a Complex Behavioral Profile
Individuals with complex behavioral and medical profiles require an interdisciplinary approach due to multiple specialized areas of need. This approach allows interdisciplinary teams to efficiently address multiple presenting needs simultaneously and comprehensively (Boivin et al., 2021). This...
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Innovative Recruitment Campaign Launched in NY State to Address Direct Support Professional Workforce Shortage
Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide crucial services for more than 125,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, all across the state. The important roles that DSPs serve cannot be understated; I see it every day in my interactions and visits to...
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The Neuro-Strength-Based Support Framework: A Collaborative, Strength-Focused Approach to Autism Interventions
Autism remains an enigma to some despite decades of research and a plethora of interventions aimed at addressing its myriad facets. Historically, interventions have been crafted to mitigate perceived developmental, sensory, and behavioral deficits without a solid foundation in the bio-neurological...
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Supporting Autism Service Providers: Challenges, Solutions, and Collective Action
Alex, an autism service provider and early intervention specialist, begins his workday at the community’s autism support center, where he’s scheduled to work with Mia, an eight-year-old girl on the autism spectrum. Mia, who is non-verbal, has shown a keen interest in participating in activities...
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Reducing Staff Turnover Among Autism Service Providers
Autism service providers have the unique challenge of helping the individuals they work with achieve meaningful and sometimes life-changing outcomes while managing their own mental and physical exhaustion. The burnout rate among Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) and Board Certified Behavior...
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Autism Treatment Should be Guided by Recent Research Reflecting the Expansion of the Diagnoses
When I first began working as a behavioral interventionalist while pursuing my undergrad psychology degree in 1996, we treated children with autism in much the same way many providers do today. Over the past three decades, we’ve learned a great deal about autism. So, why are many still relying on...
