Title: Types of Support Available for Families with Members Living With Autism Spectrum Disorder | The Arc’s Autism Now Center
Headings: home
at home
Contents
What is Family Support?
Where does Family Support Policy come from?
What is the Desired Outcome of Family Support?
Who is Available to Support Families?
Examples of Family Support Programs/Initiatives
What Does Family Support Value in Practice?
Examples of How Family Support is Used
Who to Contact Regarding Family Support

Content: In other words, for family support advocates, family support is the right thing to provide for families, and it is more cost effective than non-family residential arrangements. What is the Desired Outcome of Family Support? Ultimately, family support is designed to reunite, preserve, strengthen, and maintain families in their home communities, while making sure that the family members with disabilities have ample opportunities to exercise choice and self determination. Who is Available to Support Families? Family support is provided by a number of different organizations that are usually supported at the federal level but are increasingly implemented at the state and local level. In the developmental disability world, family support was defined with policy recommendations in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (the DD Act). However, family support policy from the DD Act is implemented at the state level. At the state level, state developmental disability agencies may provide funding and other services to support families of school age children. Support to families of people with autism spectrum disorders is not limited to DD-specific support, however. For example, family support may also be provided by state health and human service agencies, which include early intervention services and other parent support.