On October 7, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released the latest issue of the Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the most recent research for people with mental and behavioral health challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to help them live an everyday life. This edition focuses on the importance of trauma-informed research and the best practices that can be implemented to support people with autism.

“DHS works to ensure that Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism have the services and supports they need,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “We know that there is a higher prevalence of trauma among individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism, and it is our hope that the research in this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal can help individuals and families find the resources they need to improve their everyday lives.”

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. Life-changing investments in Governor Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget secured historic increases in funding for home- and community-based services for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) as well as increases in rates for the providers responsible for essential care and support of these individuals every day.

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

• Data Discoveries outlines an increased prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among individuals with autism and identifies trends that indicate an urgent need for further research, clinician training, and increased awareness.
• Creating a Trauma-Informed Human Services Workforce in Pennsylvania:  A Successful Cross-Sector Collaboration details the delivery of Trauma-Informed Care in Pennsylvania and demonstrates how collaboration between state government and other stakeholders helps to create safe, supportive environments that promote healing and resilience for children and youth.    
• Trauma and Social Adversity in Autism: Considerations and Directions for Clinicians and Researchers highlights recent research on the influence of the environment on mental health outcomes among people with autism.  
• Utilization of Art Therapy in Processing Overwhelming Emotions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder details research that found that there was a trend in reduced depression and PTSD symptoms for these individuals after art therapy sessions. 

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 www.dhs.pa.gov.

On October 2, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced a new voluntary and free tool to help schools to track student achievement, The Pennsylvania Firefly Student Progress Indicators (PA Firefly) is a PA-specific tool that will allow educators to assess students’ mastery of material taught in PA classrooms and covered on end-of-year exams, and intervene earlier to help students who need more help to fully master certain material.

“Pennsylvania’s new PA Firefly benchmarking tool provides a comprehensive view of student learning in real time, helping teachers meet day-to-day goals and end-of-year targets,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “We want students across the Commonwealth to succeed and have all the tools necessary to do so at their fingertips. Resources like PA Firefly help to gauge where students are at, so we can meet them there and help them grow and thrive.”

Earlier this year, Governor Josh Shapiro announced changes to the state’s system of school assessments that will reduce the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests, mitigate stress and anxiety around testing by adopting question types that match how students learn, help teachers spend more time teaching, and save the Commonwealth millions of dollars.

PA Firefly will be available in Pennsylvania schools to support student learning throughout the year, starting this school year. The diagnostic exam is fully aligned to Pennsylvania standards to reflect and measure the same student knowledge and skills measured by the summative end-of-year and end-of-course assessments. It signals student readiness for Pennsylvania’s end-of-year exams and lights the way with high-quality reporting and instructional resources for teachers throughout the year.

As a custom benchmark assessment built specifically for Pennsylvania classrooms, PA Firefly will support student learning throughout the year and provide feedback relative to on-grade expectations, as well as predictions for student performance on end-of-year assessments.

PA Firefly is a fully online, computer-adaptive assessment designed to be administered as single-session tests on the same platform as Pennsylvania’s summative assessments. Testing is available throughout the year, beginning in the fall and ending with the spring assessments. Seasonal testing windows will enable educators to track progress and help learners meet milestones throughout the school year. 

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

On September 30, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced its intent to increase rates paid in its Behavioral HealthChoices program, which provides access to mental health, substance use disorder, and other behavioral health services for Medicaid recipients. Once approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the new rates to the Behavioral HelathChoices (BHC) Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will be retroactive to July 1, 2024 for their current 2024 contract agreements with DHS.

The increase to BH-MCO rates come following a mid-year review of managed care organizations’ enrollment and what services and supports beneficiaries are using the most. The increased rates, if approved by CMS, will support access to behavioral health care for Medicaid recipients and ensure these MCOs are better positioned to appropriately compensate providers working in the behavioral health field, ultimately helping to recruit and retain this critical workforce.

More information on behavioral health and crisis resources in Pennsylvania is available on DHS’ website.

The first annual Technology Adventure for Students with Vision and Hearing Needs is offered by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education. It is designed to support educators and families in making informed decisions about assistive technology (AT) for students across the commonwealth with blindness, low vision, deafblindness, or who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Attendees can explore a wide range of vision and hearing assistive technologies, engage with more than 20 Assistive Technology (AT) vendors, and learn about the latest advancements in the field of AT. Additionally, valuable information on post-graduation support for students requiring assistive technology will be provided.

Over 6,000 PK-12 students in the commonwealth have a sensory impairment of blindness, low vision, deafblindness, or are deaf or hard of hearing. Assistive Technology is a vital tool as it provides equitable access to information, ensuring these students can participate in the general education curriculum alongside their sighted and hearing peers. AT can be a simple adaptive device or tool, an advanced high-tech software or hardware, or any service that directly helps a student with a disability in selecting, acquiring, or using an assistive technology device.

Registration is now open for the October 22 and October 23 Sessions.

Please register at the PATTAN Technology Adventure for Students with Vision and Hearing Needs webpage. 

The bipartisan 2024-25 budget for Pennsylvanians significantly added funding to help those with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A). The budget includes historic investments in Pennsylvanians with ID/A and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who care for them by securing $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers. The funding includes $280 million to help raise wages for DSPs and $74.8 million to begin the process of clearing the emergency waiting list. This investment in provider rates will support recruitment, retention, and wages for DSPs who make inclusive, enriching lives possible for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. 

The 2024-25 budget investment in ID/A services sets a transformative course to eliminate the emergency waiting list for services for adults and reduce barriers to care for thousands of Pennsylvanians over the next several years. It will also make Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to end its emergency waiting list and help ID/A community members access vital services to live independently, pursue education and job opportunities, and participate in the Everyday Lives they deserve. 

Learn more about services and resources through the DHS Office of Developmental Programs.