30:6D-62.4 Asperger's Syndrome Pilot Initiative established in DHS.

2. The Commissioner of Human Services shall establish the Asperger's Syndrome Pilot Initiative in the Department of Human Services.

a. The purpose of the initiative shall be to provide vocational, educational and social training services to persons with Asperger's Syndrome, through community-based service sites, which offer these individuals appropriate support, guidance and education to enable them to: further their education, achieve gainful employment, develop meaningful friendships, and become broadly competent adults who are able to lead fulfilling lives.

b. The commissioner shall contract with one or more entities to make services available Statewide under the initiative.

c. The initiative shall provide services, through an individualized approach to instruction and support for persons with Asperger's Syndrome, which address a comprehensive range of support needs for these individuals, including, at a minimum: social skills training; social supports, including supported employment; housing supports; and psychiatric and psychological services for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other neurological disorders.

d. The commissioner shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the initiative no later than two years after the date that it commences operations, and shall include in that report a detailed summary of its activities, an assessment of its cost-effectiveness, and any recommendations that the commissioner desires to make for the extension, expansion, modification or termination of the initiative.

L.2007, c.169, s.2.