Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations

    Our Mission Statement

    The mission of the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations is to develop and manage services and supports to enhance the quality of life of Pennsylvanians living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and to support their families and caregivers. The Bureau will carry out its mission through the creation and administration of adult service delivery models, the development of resources to support individuals with autism and their families across the lifespan and by collaborating with and providing technical assistance to other Department of Human Services (DHS) offices and government agencies.

    The Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations has identified long-term goals to help it carry out its mission.

    • Improve the quality of life and increase the independence of Pennsylvanians living with autism
    • Continue the development and refinement of the Bureau's evidence-based and outcome-driven programs
    • Increase the size of the Adult Autism Waiver and Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP) in response to the exponential growth of adult Pennsylvanians with autism
    • Support families and caregivers by providing information and resources

    The Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations has identified key objectives to help it carry out its mission and attain its goals.

    • Establish standards for and increase the capacity of qualified providers of services through training and technical assistance
    • Develop programmatic and policy changes to address critical issues identified by the statewide autism needs assessment
    • Collaborate with other systems supporting children and adults with autism to better leverage scarce resources
    • Increase the size of the Adult Autism Waiver and ACAP programs in response to the exponential growth of adult Pennsylvanians with autism

    Our Values

    • Support those living with autism throughout the lifespan
    • Support those living with autism across the spectrum
    • Support families of individuals living with autism
    • Every person living with autism can have an improved quality of life given the right supports delivered by trained staff
    • Increased independence and self-sufficiency of individuals living with autism
    • Explore innovative, collaborative models of service delivery
    • Professional and program accountability

     

    Contact:

    DHS Office of Developmental Programs - Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations
    P.O. Box 2675 Harrisburg, PA 17105
    Telephone: 1(866) 539-7689