Autism Treatment Assistance Program: Establishment; duties; requirements for plan of treatment developed for participants; policies and services provided to be approved by Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders

1. There is hereby established the Autism Treatment Assistance Program within the Division to serve as the primary autism program within the Department and to provide and coordinate the provision of services to persons diagnosed or determined, including, without limitation, through the use of a standardized assessment, to have autism spectrum disorders through the age of 19 years. 2. The Autism Treatment Assistance Program shall: (a) Prescribe an application process for parents and guardians of persons with autism spectrum disorders to participate in the Program. (b) Provide for the development of a plan of treatment for persons who participate in the Program. (c) Promote the use of evidence-based treatments which are cost effective and have been proven to improve treatment of autism spectrum disorders. (d) Educate parents and guardians of persons with autism spectrum disorders on autism spectrum disorders and the assistance that may be provided by the parent or guardian to improve treatment outcomes. (e) Establish and use a system for assessing persons with autism spectrum disorders to determine a baseline to measure the progress of and prepare a plan for the treatment of such persons. (f) Assist parents and guardians of persons with autism spectrum disorders in obtaining public services that are available for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. (g) Publish on an Internet website maintained by the Autism Treatment Assistance Program: (1) Specific guidance for obtaining a diagnosis for an autism spectrum disorder and obtaining public services that are available for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including, without limitation, applied behavior analysis services; and (2) A list of providers in this State who are qualified to diagnose autism spectrum disorders. (h) When there is a waiting list for services from the Autism Treatment Assistance Program, use a risk assessment tool to assess and identify persons on the waiting list with higher needs for the purpose of ensuring the proper delivery of services to each person, regardless of the difficulty of serving that person. 3. A plan of treatment developed for a person who participates in the Program pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 2 must: (a) Identify the specific behaviors of the person to be addressed and the expected outcomes. (b) Include, without limitation: (1) Preparations for transitioning the person from one provider of treatment to another or from one public program to another, as the needs of the person require through the age of 19 years; and (2) Measures to ensure that, to the extent practicable, the person receives appropriate services from another entity after the person reaches 20 years of age. (c) Be revised to address any change in the needs of the person. 4. The policies of the Autism Treatment Assistance Program and any services provided by the Program must be developed in cooperation with and be approved by the Commission. 5. As used in this section, “autism spectrum disorder” means a condition that meets the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder published in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association or the edition thereof that was in effect at the time the condition was diagnosed or determined.