Autism Waiver services are provided by four major types of individuals who are trained by professionals from the Kansas Center for Autism Training and Research (KCART): Autism Specialists, Intensive Individual Service Providers, Respite Providers, and Parent Support and Training Providers. Waiver Service Providers can either be Independent Providers or employees of an agency.

• Autism Specialists
• Intensive Individual Support Providers
• Providers, Respite Providers
• Parent Support and Training Providers

Autism Specialists (AS)

Consultative Clinical and Therapeutic Services are intended to assist the family and paid support staff or other professionals in carrying out the Individual Behavioral Program/ Plan of Care (IBP/POC) that supports the child’s functional development and inclusion in the community. Consultative and therapeutic services are provided by the Autism Specialist and include assessment of the child and family’s strengths and needs, development of the IBP/POC, training and technical assistance to the family and paid support staff in order to carry out the program, and monitoring of the child’s progress within the program and of the family and/or other providers implementation of the program. The IBP is a required component of the child’s Individualized Plan of Care. These services may be provided in all customary and usual community locations including where the child lives, attend schools and/or childcare, and/or socializes.

For the purposes of this service, "family" is defined as the persons who live with or provide care to a person served on the waiver, and may include a parent, step parent, legal guardian, siblings, relatives, grandparents, or foster parents.

Qualifications for the Autism Specialist:

• Master’s degree, preferably in human services or education or Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) and
• 2000 hours of supervised experience working with a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder *
• Completion of state approved curriculum
• Must successfully pass background checks from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI), SRS Adult and Child Protective Services Registries (APS) (CPS), Kansas Health & Environment Nurse Aid Registry, and Motor Vehicle screen.
• Medicaid Enrolled Provider

* There is an exception policy allowing SRS to waive 1,000 hours of the required experience for individuals who are (BCBA).

Click here for more information about Board Certified Behavior Analysts

*Services are limited to 50 hours or 200 units (one unit is equal to 15 minutes) per calendar year (January - December); request for additional hours must have prior authorization.

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Intensive Individual Support Providers (IIS)

Services provided to a child with an autism spectrum disorder designed to assist in acquiring, retaining, improving, and generalization of the self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills necessary to reside and function successfully in home and community settings. Services will be provided through evidence based and data driven methodologies. Intensive Individual Supports include the development of skills such as:

• Social skills to enhance participation in family, school, and community activities (e.g., imitation, social initiations and response to adults and peers, parallel and interactive play with peers and siblings);
• Expressive verbal language, receptive language, and nonverbal communication skills;
• A functional symbolic communication system;
• Increased engagement and flexibility in developmentally appropriate tasks and play, including the ability to attend to the environment and respond to an appropriate motivational system;
• Fine and gross motor skills used for age appropriate functional activities, as needed;
• Cognitive skills, including symbolic play and basic concepts, as well as academic skills;
• Replacement of problem behaviors with more conventional and appropriate behaviors; and
• Independent organizational skills and other socially appropriate behaviors that facilitate successful community integration (e.g., completing a task independently, following instructions in a group, asking for help).

The majority of these contacts must occur in customary and usual community locations where the child lives, attend schools and/or childcare, and/or socializes. Services provided in an educational setting must not be academic in purpose. Services furnished to a child who is an inpatient or resident of a hospital, nursing facility, intermediate care facility for persons with mental retardation, or institution for mental disease are non-covered.

Services must be recommended by a team, are subject to prior approval, and must be intended to achieve the goals or objectives identified in the child’s IBP/POC.

Transportation may be provided between the participant’s place of residence and other services sites or places in the community and the cost of transportation is included in the rate paid to providers of this services.

Qualifications for Intensive Individual Support Providers:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field or 60 hours college credit hours and 1,000 hours experience working with a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Completion of the state approved training curriculum (which will include a hands-on component)
• Must work under the direction of a Autism Specialist
• Successfully pass background checks from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI), SRS Adult and Child Protective Services Registries (APS) (CPS), Kansas Health & Environment Nurse Aid Registry, and Motor Vehicle screen.
• Medicaid Enrolled Provider

* Services are limited to 25 hours per week or 100 units (one unit is equal to 15 minutes) per week, per calendar year 3 (January - December).

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Respite Care Providers

Respite Care provides temporary direct care and supervision for the child. The primary purpose is relief to families/caregivers of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The service is designed to help meet the needs of the primary caregiver as well as the identified child. Normal activities of daily living are considered content of the service when providing respite care, and include support in the home, after school, or at night.

Respite Care can be provided in a child’s home or place of residence or provided in other community settings. Respite Services provided by or in an Institute for Mental Disease (IMD) and/or an Intermediate Care Facility for Mental Retardation (ICF/MR) are non-covered.

Transportation to and from school/medical appointments/ or other community based activities, and/or any combination of the above is included in the rate paid to providers of this service.

Federal financial participation (FFP) is not claimed for the cost of room & board. Respite care does not duplicate any other Medicaid State Plan Service or service otherwise available to recipient at no cost.

Provider Qualifications for Respite Providers:

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Eighteen years of age or older
• Must meet family’s qualifications
• Must reside outside of child’s home
• Will work under the direction of the Autism Specialist
• Completion of the State approved training curriculum
• Successfully pass background checks from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI), SRS Adult and Child Protective Services Registries (APS) (CPS), Kansas Health & Environment Nurse Aid Registry, and Motor Vehicle screen.
• Enrolled Medicaid Provider

* Services are limited to 168 hours or 672 units (one unit is equal to 15 minutes) per calendar year (January - December).

Parent Support and Training (peer to peer)
Parent Support and Training is designed to provide the training and support necessary to ensure engagement and active participation of the family in the treatment process and with the ongoing implementation and reinforcement of skills learned throughout the treatment process. Support and training is provided to family members to increase their ability to provide a safe and supportive environment in the home and community for the child. This involves assisting the family with the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to understand and address the specific needs of the child in relation to their autism spectrum disorder and treatment; and development and enhancement of the family’s specific problem-solving skills, coping mechanisms, and strategies for the child's symptom/behavior management.

For the purposes of this service, "family" is defined as persons who live with or provide care to a person served on the waiver, and may include a parent, step parent, legal guardian, siblings, relatives, grandparents, or foster parents. Services may be provided individually or in a group setting. Services must be recommended by a treatment team, are subject to prior approval, and must be intended to achieve the goals or objectives identified in the child's IBP/POC.

Parent Support and Training does not duplicate any other Medicaid State Plan Service or other services otherwise available to recipient at no cost.

Peer to Peer Provider Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Twenty-one years of age or older
• Completion of parent support training or other approved training curriculum
• Must have three years of direct care experience with a child with an autism spectrum disorder Is the parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder age three or older
• Works under the direction of the Autism specialist
• Successfully pass background checks from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI), SRS Adult and Child Protective Services Registries (APS) (CPS), Kansas Health & Environment Nurse Aid Registry, and Motor Vehicle screen.
• Enrolled Medicaid Provider

* Services are limited to 30 hours or 120 units (one unit is equal to 15 minutes) per calendar year (January - December). Limit applies whether it is group, individual or combination of both.

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Family Adjustment Counseling

Counseling provided to the family members of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to guide and help them cope with the child’s illness and the related stress that accompanies the initial understanding of the diagnosis and the ongoing continuous, daily care required by the child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Enabling the family to manage this stress improves the likelihood that the child with the disorder will continue to be cared for at home, thereby preventing premature and otherwise unnecessary institutionalization. Family Adjustment Counseling provides a safe and supporting environment for the family to express emotions associated with the comprehension of the disorder and to ask questions about the disorder to achieve acceptance of the disorder and prepare the family to support the child on an ongoing basis.

For the purposes of this service, "family" is defined as persons who live with or provide unpaid care to a person served on the waiver, and may include a parent, step parent, legal guardian, siblings, relatives, or grandparents. Services may be provided individually or in a group setting. Services must be recommended by a treatment team, are subject to prior approval, and must be intended to achieve the goals or objectives identified in the child's IBC/POC.

Family Adjustment Counseling does not duplicate any other Medicaid State Plan Service or other services otherwise available to recipient at no cost.

Family Adjustment Counseling Provider Qualifications:

• Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP)
• Will maintain an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Autism Specialist beginning at time of referral

* Services are limited to 12 hours or 48 units (one unit is equal to 15 minutes) per calendar year (January - December). Limit applies whether it is group, individual or combination of both.

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