Community Living Arrangements (CLA)
Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated provides 24-hour residential support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Quality of life provides room for privacy within and outside of the residential setting. Each individual's life encompasses a variety of settings. In the home environment, individuals can enjoy their own personal space and possessions; take part in planning and preparation of their meals to assure that personal and cultural preferences are addressed. Individuals determine:
- How to use their leisure time
- To take part in individual or group recreational activities
- To socialize with other members of their household
- To exercise the option to entertain family members and friends.
The residential environment also affords the individual with learning and a therapeutic enriched environment where some services specified in the individual plan may be delivered. The individual's quality of life is enhanced by their community involvement. Community inclusion provides an ideal learning environment for individuals because skills are acquired in the settings where they will be used. The individual may develop important skills associated with:
- Community safety
- Accessing community services
- Developing personal finance skills
- The use of public transportation.
Each individual is afforded the opportunity to become a consumer of community services by:
- Utilizing service providers in their community
- Involving themselves in religious and cultural opportunities
- Participating in community, recreational and volunteer activities
In-Home Supports (IHS / CRS)
In-Home Supports are available to adults and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities and encompass the following needs:
- Planning and personal achievement
- Relationship and community inclusion
- Choice and control
- Respect and dignity
- Safety
- Health and wellness
- Satisfaction with services
- Daily living skills
- Financial management
The In-Home Supports Program at Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated offers flexible services based on the person's needs identified through the Individual Planning process. These services are provided to people living in their own homes or in a family member's home. These services can range from a few hours of support a month to a few hours of support each day depending on person's need. A twenty-four hour back up program is also available to individuals that require this service. In-Home Support services may include but are not limited to:
- Transportation (medical, recreational)
- Financial supports (banking, budgeting, bill paying as needed, all community supports)
- Coordinating medical care (setting up medication, doctor's appointments, routine labs)
- Securing DSS and SSI entitlements/medical insurance (re-determination, energy assistance, renter's rebate, representative payee)
- Assisting with grocery shopping
- Assisting with laundry
- Coordinating activities focused on community/cultural inclusion and social acceptance
- Support around maintaining and securing apartment leases
Day Services
Individualized Day Support Option
Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated creates wrap-around home based day service programs for individuals seeking structured community, recreational, and volunteer activities as an alternative to paid employment or community based day services. Services are offered to individuals of all ages with various abilities and challenges. Daily opportunities are determined by the individual's aspirations to enhance skills, develop competencies, and be active contributors to their communities. These individualized programs may include, but are not limited to:
- Providing training/support to increase self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills to participate in own community
- Developing and maintaining independent functioning skills
- Developing and maintaining friendships and skills to use in daily interactions
- Providing opportunities to participate in community activities
- Providing opportunities to volunteer in the community
- Providing opportunities to participate in meaningful retirement activities
Supported Employment-Individual (SEI)
Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated provides supports to individuals seeking paid employment with a focus on the development of meaningful skills in the area of work, socialization, and community participation. These services provide opportunities to build relationship skills, explore various job interests, and to enhance the individual's ability to independently function in a work setting.
Clinical Services
Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated offers clinical services and training to individuals, families, and other providers. All our services are based on an Individual Service Plan. Our educated and specially trained clinical staff is dedicated to providing:
Community Living Arrangements
- Medical Coordination and oversight nursing services by Registered Nurses (RN)
- Behavioral services including functional behavioral assessments and Positive Behavior Support Plans
- Individual and group counseling
- Positive behavior support plans
- Training on behavioral/clinical supports
- Family support and psycho-education group
- Consultant dietician, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and Speech and Language Pathologist
- RN oversight in staff medication certification
- On-going training in health related areas
In-Home Supports
- Behavioral services including functional behavioral assessments and Positive Behavior Support Plans
- Individual and group counseling
- Healthcare coordination by RN
- RN oversight in staff medication certification
- Family support and psycho-education group
- Nursing Delegation Training
- On-going training in health related areas
All members involved in our consultation services are familiar and experienced in working with individuals that may also have a mental health diagnosis. Please contact our Executive Director, Muhammad Shabazz, if you are interested in any of the above services.
Children /Family Services
Alternative Services-Connecticut, Incorporated (ASI-CT, Inc.) provides in-home supports to children and adolescents facing emotional and behavioral challenges and their families. Alternative Services is committed and qualified to render the necessary services outlined in the Child/Family treatment plans. These services may include non-credentialed services dictated by Department of Children and Families or Advanced Behavioral Health (ABH) credentialed services also funded by Department of Children and Families. These services may include but are not limited to:
ABH Credentialed Services
Therapeutic Support Staff
- Provide a supportive one to one relationship to child and/or adolescent with complex behavioral health needs who is at risk of residential treatment or who is being discharged from residential treatment.
- Provide therapeutic intervention and support to assist in maintaining child/adolescent in his/her home or community as identified in the treatment plan.
- Assist the child/adolescent in developing the skills needed to facilitate more positive outcomes.
- Provide structured and enrichment activities consistent with treatment plan objectives
- Help the child/adolescent explore and enjoy recreational activities and facilitate a connection to natural community support systems.
Support Staff
- Provide a supportive one to one relationship to child and/or adolescent who exhibit mild to moderately challenging behaviors in the home, school or community.
- Provide supports to assist the child/adolescent in making positive decisions and behavior choices.
- Assist the child/adolescent with attaining social and emotional gains.
- Provide supports to assist child/adolescent with making positive peer and other community supports connections.
- Provide structured and enrichment activities consistent with treatment plan objectives.
Assessments
- Assessment of child/adolescent to determine his/her strengths and limitations, develop a differential diagnosis, identify any disability, determine functional capacity, identify natural supports, and develop or review a treatment plan.
- Assessment includes initial face-to-face screening with child/adolescent, additional face-to-face contacts with child/adolescent, and contacts with family, caregivers, and other treatment providers.
Behavioral Management Service
- Design and support a therapeutic plan that assists family, caretaker, teachers, or other service providers in the management of a child's/adolescent's dangerous and disruptive behaviors as well as teach and increase positive adaptive behaviors.
- The proactive components of the therapeutic plan focuses teaching and reinforcing the development of social skills, adaptive skills, life skills, and self-management skills.
- This service includes:
- Observation of child/adolescent in various settings, and interviews of family, caregivers, teachers and significant others to gain an understanding of the child/adolescent's adaptive skills, life skills, and behavior management strengths and limitations;
- Development of a written therapeutic plan to be followed by family, caregivers, teachers and/or other service providers; and
- Support of a therapeutic plan through teaching and role modeling of the implementation of the behavior management plan.
Non-Credentialed Children's Services
These are non-insurance driven services and non-ABH credentialed services that Department of Children and Families may fund on a case-by-case basis. Some examples of services that ASI-CT, Inc. has provided are listed below. However, these services are based on individual need and may entail some creative, "outside of the box" services.
In-home Counseling/Mediation
- Provide counseling services for child/youth and the family to deal with specific issues.
- Provide mediation services between the child's/youth's biological family and foster family.
Transportation
- Assist family with transportation to/from appointments as delineated in the treatment plan.
Family Support Services
- Provide Parent-Aid services
- Act as a liaison between the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Developmental Services
Other Services
Trauma Informed Treatment and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy clinicians are trained in providing sound trauma treatment for children.
Juvenile Fire setting trained clinicians with the ability to do Fire setting Risk Assessment Tool for Youth (FRAT). The clinician that can provide treatment if needed based off of the assessment.
Functional Behavior Assessment to efficiently provide effective behavioral interventions and treatment for individuals with behavioral symptoms of Autism and other mental health disorders. The goal of the Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA) is to identify:
- Antecedents events: events that typically predict when behaviors of concern most likely to occur.
- Behaviors observed: a description of the topography (i.e., appearance and nature) of the behaviors of concern and how these behaviors interfere with progress in the classroom community and daily functioning.
- Consequence events: events that typically follow and may maintain or deescalate the behaviors of concerns.
This allows for an effective Behavior Support plan to be developed to address each of these factors.
DDS Waivered Services: ASI-CT, Inc. is a qualified provider of DDS Services on the Autism and VSP Waiver
Transitional/Vocational Services: ASI-CT, Inc. is a qualified Transitional/Vocational Provider with the Connecticut Department of Special Education. Our provider codes are: 028-01-82 and 028-03-82.
Vocational Services: ASI-CT, Inc. contracts through the Dept. of Rehab. Services to provide work evaluations and working interviews in community based settings. This program provides individually based career enhancing services assisting individual in all phases of employment. Job exploration; resume writing/building, interview preparedness, or job placement and on-going job coaching supports.
Other Services: Summer and Vacation Programs, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, and Domestic Violence Counseling.