Program Description

Vista’s STAP is designed for individuals with higher functioning forms of autism (ASD) who need to improve pro-social behavior when interacting with adults, peers, or while keeping themselves appropriately occupied but who have the language and self-regulation skills to respond to small group instructional models.  All individuals participating in Vista’s STAP must have an Axis I diagnosis 299. 80 or 299.00 from the DSM-IV-TR made by a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or licensed physician in order to be eligible.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the philosophical foundation of our program.  This means we use positive reinforcement to increase participant’s application of social skills. When participants demonstrate behaviors that limit social opportunities, we seek to identify the context in which these behaviors occur and focus on teaching functionally relevant replacement behaviors.

Download STAP Brochure (PDF)

Daily Scheduled activities include

• Large group activities that include cooking, sports, a variety of tag games
• Drama games that are designed to have participants apply social concepts in a fun and relaxing atmosphere
• Problem solving activities that include hands on activities which require participants to generate and test out a variety of options and encourage team work. 
• Projects in which participants must plan, persist and problem solve to complete. 
• Social Skills instruction on a variety of social skills important to most group participants
• Games that focus on either turn taking or sharing and responding to other’s ideas
• Yearbook which is an opportunity to create a daily record of the participant’s reflections of people s/he is getting to know, activities s/he participated in, and field trip experiences.  Participants bring this yearbook home with them at the end of the program.

 Every week, participants attend community based instruction (field trips) which provide an opportunity to apply skills learned, and enhance and expand leisure interests.  While the community based instruction schedule has not yet been set for this upcoming STAP season; we’ve listed sites Vista’s STAP has visited in previous years.

• Derry Township Pool

• Lake Tobias
• Indian Echo Caverns
• Movie Theater
• Wildwood Park
• Little Buffalo State Park
• A Restaurant trip: TJ Rockwell’s, Chili’s, Moe’s, and Two Brothers Pizza

Eligibility Requirements

Why we have eligibility criteria
Participants are required to meet minimum eligibility requirements in order to attend Vista’s STAP.  Vista sets these eligibility requirements to ensure that participants who attend our program will benefit from the design and level of supports available within our program.  Trying to ensure that Vista’s STAP is a good fit for the participant also makes it less likely that we need to discharge participants early from the program, making it even more challenging for a family to find an appropriate summer program for their child to participate in for the duration of the summer. 

How we determine eligibility
We start with a phone conversation, asking the potential participant’s parent and/or knowledgeable mental health or education professional about the prospective participant’s ability and level of supports needed in relation to the various eligibility requirements.  If the potential participant seems to possess the required skills, we proceed in setting up a screening during which we directly assess.

What is our eligibility criteria
Vista STAP participants must independently and regularly engage in the following skills.

• Successfully participates in group sizes of three or more peers, meaning s/he has learned new information in groups of that size and been able to maintain safe behavior in groups of that size.
• Initiates and asks for items and activities to meet basic wants and needs
• Responds to what, where, when, who, and why questions and differentiates the difference between question types, i.e. answers a where question with a location
• Maintains safe behavior while appropriately occupying free time for extended periods of time (excluding video games)
• Shares space with other peers without placing him/herself at risk; proximity of peers should not evoke aggression or other dangerous behavior
• Takes care of all toileting needs
• Opens containers and uses utensils to eat
• Initiates or follows a written schedule to initiate asking for medication, willingly travels to, receives, and swallows medication (only applicable to participants who take medication during program hours)
• Walks without assistance and accesses public transportation (can walk up stairs of public transportation and safely ride bus – NOT REQUIRED to read bus schedule or determine route)

Enrollment Process

STEP 1:  Apply for a medical assistance (MA) card. 
You can do this by contacting your county assistance office.  Vista STAP is a medical assistance service and can only be accessed by those who are actively enrolled in medical assistance.

¨  Cumberland County     240-2700             1-800-269-0173

¨  Dauphin County           787-2324             1-800-788-5616

¨  Lancaster County         299-7411             

¨  Lebanon County           270-3600             1-800-229-3926

¨  Perry County                 582-2127             1-800-991-1929

STEP 2:  Schedule a psychological evaluation.
Many area providers can assist you in this process.  If your child is currently receiving wraparound (BHRS) or family-based services (FBMHS), then this evaluation should be coordinated with your child’s agency.  Within the evaluation, inform the evaluator that you are interested in your child attending a STAP.  If the evaluator agrees that this service would be clinically appropriate, s/he will prescribe it for your child.  Local providers that conduct evaluations can be found at http://www.cbhnp.org, selecting “Find a Provider” under the Members Column, then entering the requested information as well as selecting “MH BHRS Eval” under the Services Option to further refine your search. 

After scheduling and attending the psychological evaluation, you will need a copy of your child’s psychological evaluation with a STAP recommendation in hand to proceed with the enrollment process.  We will support you in submitting this information to your child’s Managed Care Organization (MCO) for review.  If you do not participate in a MCO like CBHNP, please contact Vista and we will do our best to assist you through the fee for service process.

STEP 3: Send Vista STAP a copy of the evaluation.
Upon receiving a psychological evaluation including a recommendation for a Summer Therapeutic Activities Program, send Vista STAP a copy of the evaluation and if you are a provider making a referral, please send the intent to accept form.  We will review the information and contact you to for a phone screening to discuss eligibility requirements to attend our program. 

STEP 4: Schedule a screening during which time eligibility requirements will be assessed.
If based on your responses during the phone screening, you believe that your child meets the eligibility requirements, we will schedule a screening.  During the screening, the skills required for your child to be eligible will be tested.  If your child does not engage in the above skills during the screening, s/he will not be admitted into the program; please keep this in mind while answering these questions on the phone.  While a clinician works with your child to screen him or her, you will be asked to complete paperwork in preparation for the ISPT and intake meetings in the event that your child is accepted into Vista’s STAP.  For that reason, please bring the following to your child’s screening. 

1. Your child’s MA card
2. Contact name, phone number, and address for primary care physician, wraparound agency, school, and other service providers
3. Emergency Contact Information
4. Names, dosages, and times of medications
5. Allergies to medications and food
6. List of your child’s likes and dislikes
7. Known vacation days
8. Your calendar in order to schedule the discharge meeting
9. Psychological evaluation with recommendation for Summer Therapeutic Activities Program
    

STEP 6: Contact your county’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program services
If you plan to use Medical Assistance Transportation Program services, it is a good idea to call the county number we provide you at intake and let them know to expect paperwork from Vista regarding your child and tell them of any vacation days you know you will be taking.

STEP 7: Vista submits a request for authorization on your child’s behalf to the funding insurance company, and if approved, your child will be ready to begin STAP.
Following the ISPT/intake meeting, Vista will submit a request for authorization on your child’s behalf to the funding insurance company.  Upon receipt, the insurance company has 48 hours to review and determine if the request meets medical necessity criteria.  You should receive information directly from the insurance company regarding the outcome of the review.  Once Vista learns whether or not the program has been approved for your child, we will also contact you and let you know what we learn.  Upon receiving an approved authorization, your child will be ready to begin STAP!

Dates, Times & Locations for 2010

Vista’s STAP is a five week program which runs six hours a day Monday through Friday. 

Located at:
Chambers Hill United Methodist Church
6300 Chambers Hill Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111

July 12^th through 30^th and August 9^th through 20^th  
9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Vista’s STAP is closed the week of the National Autism Conference from August 2nd through 6th

Transportation

Vista’s STAP encourages families to provide transportation if possible for their children.  We believe this provides increased communication between the family and Vista STAP.  Counties also provide mileage reimbursement for those families that are able to transport their own child. 

However, we understand that most families have other commitments during the times they would need to transport their child.  Vista’s STAP assists families in signing up for the Medical Assistance Transportation Program.  Each county runs their own MATP, and each company that provides transportation for MATP services has their own policies.  We coordinate with the county transportation programs, and assist families in signing up for and understanding the company’s policies that provide transportation.

Costs
Every Summer Therapeutic Activities Program is a medically prescribed service, which is only prescribed for participant’s whom an evaluator believes meets the medical necessity criteria for this service.  Because STAP is funded through medical assistance, the cost is covered through medical assistance funding.  There are no out of pocket expenses that are required of families for their child to attend.