ASHA Strategic Plan

Issue D

Fourth Quarter (Final) Progress Report
October - December 2007

Issue D—Rapid increase in the knowledge and skill sets needed to provide quality professional services in a culturally competent manner across various practice settings will lead to specialization areas of clinical practice related to communication sciences and disorders.

Outcome 1: Increased awareness and knowledge by ASHA members of how linguistic and cultural differences (e.g., religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, second language learners) impact on research, service delivery, administration, and professional education in the United States.

Strategies

1. By September 1, 2007, the School Services team will have included the following at the schools conference: an overall theme of "cultures," a concurrent session on school-based services for culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families, and infusion of cultural issues throughout concurrent sessions. [Completed]
2. By December 31, 2007, OMA and the Professional Development unit will have made recommendations for the infusion of multicultural issues relative to research, service delivery, administration as appropriate for professional education conferences and workshops planned for 2007 and 2008. [Completed]
3. By December 31, 2007, the Professional Practices and SIDIL units and N-CEP, and all staff developing ASHA documents (e.g., policy documents, member resources, and products) will consider how to address diversity, as appropriate, as related to the specific area covered by the guideline. [Completed]
4. By December 31, 2007, the Academic Affairs team and OMA will have updated and promoted the availability of curriculum resources for use in academic programs related to linguistic and cultural differences. [Completed]

Outcome 2: Increased number of knowledge and skill sets in the major component areas of communication sciences and disorders.

Strategies

1. By December 31, 2007, the Surveys and Information and Credentialing teams will have worked with an external consultant on the conduct of a practice analysis for the profession of audiology and will have begun a practice analysis for the profession of speech-language pathology (to be completed in 2008) to identify and document the clinical activities and knowledge areas judged to be important for the competent performance of newly certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists. [Completed]
2. By December 31, 2007, the Professional Practices and SIDIL units will have identified current ASHA policy documents that relate to knowledge and skills available and will have recommended new areas of practice where ASHA policy documents, reports, and other resources are needed. [Completed]
3. By December 31, 2007, the Professional Practices and SIDIL units will have continued to promote in ASHA communication vehicles ASHA policy documents, reports, and other resources that facilitate obtaining knowledge and skill sets that are available for use by members and personnel preparation programs. [Completed]

Outcome 3: Identification of the specialization areas in communication sciences and disorders.

Strategies

1. By December 31, 2007, the Academic Affairs team will have collected and examined data via the 2007 HES Grad Guide Instrument on educational specialty tracks that academic programs self identify as offering (e.g., bilingualism, augmentative and alternative communication, literacy, pediatric, adults). [Completed]
2. By December 31, 2007, the Academic Affairs team in collaboration with the Professional Practices and SIDIL units will have reviewed extant data from ASHA sources (e.g., HES, practice analyses) and report on emerging areas of practice. [Completed]

Outcome 4: Increased number of opportunities for clinical specialization in communication sciences and disorders.

Strategy

• By December 31, 2007, the Council for Clinical Specialty Recognition (CCSR) will have continued its study on the need to change the Clinical Specialty Recognition program from being a grassroots driven program to one where specialty areas are determined by ASHA/special interest divisions. [Completed]

Outcome 5: Increased awareness of the knowledge and skill sets related to communication sciences and disorders used in other countries to determine how their identified and verified practice patterns and skill sets can be used to enhance the ASHA knowledge base and skill sets to improve services to members and consumers.

Strategy

• By December 31, 2007, the Special Interest Division and International Liaison unit will review and share information from the International Survey with appropriate Association Committees and National Office units. [Completed]

There are 11 Strategies in the work plan for Issue D. Following is the status for the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th quarters.