Department of Human Services Highlights Research and Resources on Fostering Supportive Environments for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism | Department of Human[...]

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today released the latest issue of the Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the most recent research for people with behavioral health challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to help them live an everyday life. This edition highlights the role that the environment plays on the everyday lives of people and how fostering supportive environments can promote positive change.

"The Shapiro Administration believes that every Pennsylvanian with intellectual disabilities and autism deserves to receive the supports they need to achieve an everyday life with dignity and opportunity to pursue their goals and live, work, and recreate among their families and peers," said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. "We hope that, through the Positive Approaches Journal, Pennsylvanians can find the resources they need to bring about positive changes in their everyday lives."

The Governor's proposed 25-26 Budget builds on momentum from the $354.8 million in federal and state funding secured in the 2024-25 budget by annualizing rate increases and expanding waiver enrollment capacity. In just over one year, this investment reduced the adult emergency waiting list for services by nearly 28 percent and decreased the direct support professional (DSP) vacancy rate to 14 percent, the lowest it has been since 2015. The continued investments proposed in this year's budget will support progress made and allow even more Pennsylvanians to access the supports they deserve.

This edition of the Positive Approaches Journal features research and articles on the following:

• Data Insights: This article details how Medicaid-covered home accessibility modifications - ramps and lifts, widened doorways and hallways, bathroom modifications, specialized electrical or plumbing equipment, and grab bars and handrails - are important in supporting health, safety, and independence for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Designing for Safety: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Environmental Design in Community-Based Wellness: This article examines how physical spaces communicate safety, autonomy, and belonging, and how environmental design can play a critical role in resiliency and trauma-informed care for those with intellectual disabilities and autism and those who support them.
• Creating Nurturing Environments to Support Mental Health: This article highlights evidence-based techniques to create supportive environments using the Ecology of Human Performance Theory from occupational therapy, which explains the interaction between a person and their environment.
• Positive Impacts of Environmental Modifications for Individuals with Autism and Dual Diagnosis Conditions: This article highlights how specified environmental modifications can be implemented in order to best support a person with autism, intellectual developmental disability, and co-occurring mental health.
• Building Better Lives: Futures Community Support Services, Inc: This article outlines how Futures Community Support Services provides a wide range of individualized services designed to support people with autism or developmental disabilities based on their unique needs and living situations.
• Transforming Lives with Technology: This article offers a case study on the balance of an individual's risk and independence in a residential setting.

The journal is a collaboration of DHS' Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. It collects resources, observations, and advancements in mental and behavioral health in order to better serve people in their communities.

Read this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal.

For more information visit https://www.dhs.pa.gov.