Building Support

Undertaking activities that will build community and governmental support for the development of a severe behavior program is important. It is recommended to garner support by presenting to or meeting with community groups and organizations who would be likely to refer patients to your program and state agencies who may be responsible for approving funding for the program. Below are examples of groups that you should consider contacting, as well as suggestions of what to include in your presentations to or meetings with these groups.

Groups to Contact

• Providers who may serve the population of patients that will benefit from your services such as developmental pediatricians, child psychologists and psychiatrists, social workers, and BCBAs
• Organizations that advocate and provide resources for children and adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities, such as caregiver support groups and state non-profit organizations
• Local schools
• State agencies and legislators (e.g., Department of Health, Department of Developmental Disabilities, Department of Children and Families, Department of Human Services)
• Third-party payors

As mentioned above, there are several ways to identify these groups to contact. For example, every state has a developmental disabilities council. You can find the telephone number and website for the developmental disabilities council in your state here. Additionally, you could contact the outreach office at Autism Speaks (outreach@autismspeaks.org) to get recommendations on organizations that might be motivated and helpful in advocating for a severe behavior program. The National Autism Association also provides resources for finding local parent groups that may help to build community support for a severe behavior program.