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Moving from Louisiana to Connecticut
Louisiana
 Medicaid waiver for ASD
 In home services
 School Services
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Connecticut
 Full Inclusion here
 OT & Speech Best
Practices
 Services Silo
 Discouraged by
organizations where our
family was looking for help
CAAC History
 Children’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council
Subcommittee
 FAVOR’s Strategic Planning included Autism
Goals
 Several employees' had children with ASD
 Many briefs and cases were about ASD
 Provide a Unified Voice to the Legislature
 Need to work together
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About CAAC
 Brings together:
 family organizations
 community providers
 state agencies
 Works together to:
 organize and host Autism Awareness Day at the
Capitol
 support numerous state agencies and community
providers
 attend trainings
 participate on task force and advisory councils,
and more.
 Identify gaps in the system and find ways to fill
them!
 Supported by:
 FAVOR, a statewide family support organization,
provides organizational and fiduciary support to
CAAC.
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MISSION STATEMENT
 To provide one unified voice, supporting CT in the
development and improvement of service access and
quality for all individuals who are affected by Autism
Spectrum Disorders.
VISION STATEMENT
 A world in which Autism, is so clearly understood, that it is
seen as a character trait not a disability, allowing the
talents and strengths of an individual with Autism
Spectrum Disorders, to be identified, utilized and
embraced by the community in which they live.
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CAAC Some of our Members
 Autism Center at HSC
 Autism Speaks
 Autism Services & Resources Connecticut
(ASRC)
Behavioral Compass Group, LLC
CT Bureau of Special Education
CT Center for Child Development (CCCD)
CT Children’s Behavioral Health Advisory
Council(CBHAC)
CT Department of Developmental Services
(DDS)
CT Department of Public Health (DPH)
CT Families for Effective Autism Treatment
(CT FEAT)
CT Family Support Network (CTFSN)
CT Special Education PTO Alliance (SEPTO)
Family-to-Family Health Information
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 Farmington Valley Asperger’s Network
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(FAVAN)
FAVOR—Statewide Family Advocacy
FOCUS Center for Autism
Friends of Autistic People (FAP)
Helping Hands CT
The Litchfield County Autism Spectrum
Association (LACASA)
The Kennedy Center Inc.
Lighthouse Psycho-educational Services
North Central Community Collaborative
(NCCC)
North Star Support Group
PATH Parent to Parent/Family Voices CT
Roses for Autism/UCONN
Sacred Heart University
University Center for Excellence in
Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
CT Collaborative for ASD:
Project Manager Role
 Coordinate the CT Collaborative for ASD (State Implementation Grant
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for Autism Spectrum Disorders and other Developmental Disabilities
and the CT Medical Home Initiative)
Organize contract to five family and provider organizations
Collect and aggregate reports
Provide technical assistance to contractors, intermediary between
grantees and DPH to work towards grant goals
Link to community partners
Participate at national grantee meeting and CAAI National Meeting in
Washington, DC
Autism Awareness Day at the Capital
 Annual event during Autism Awareness Month
 Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney
General, Representatives, Senators (several have
relatives on the spectrum)
 Parents, advocacy groups, providers, state agencies,
educators, anyone who works with or loves
individual(s) with autism
 Attendance and participation has grown every year as
has the number of CAAC Resource bags handed out
by young adults on the spectrum
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