ASHA Strategic Plan

Issue C

Third Quarter Progress Report (July - September)

A comprehensive scope of practice that includes all of the major components and new areas of practice in communication sciences and disorders enhances the visibility of the professions by consumers and stakeholders and their perceived value of the role of audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

3rd Quarter Highlights

• A Scope of Practice in SLP committee has been formed.
• Completed a multimedia CD on craniofacial anomalies
• Audiology hosted a virtual conference on the aging patient that included a wide variety of professionals speaking on social, psychological, audiologic, and medical aspect of the aging population and how we can better serve patients in the aging population with hearing loss.
• A session on workload was conducted at the ASHA Schools Conference and workload information was disseminated at the annual meeting of the National Education Association
• Completed a brochure on Speech-Language Pathologist—Helping People Communicate Includes information about the role of SLP with literacy, wellness, prevention, and other underserved areas of practice.
• Developed brochures of ASHA position statements to disseminate to other professions in the following areas of practice: Mental retardation/developmental disabilities, Cognitive communication disorders, Access to communication services and supports (by the National Joint Committee-Severe Disabilities), Tracheoesophogeal puncture and prosthesis, Augmentative and alternative communication, Neonatal intensive care unit, Evidence-based practice in communication disorders. Autism spectrum disorders, Telepractice, and Swallowing and feeding disorders. These brochures are available by contacting the ASHA Action Center.
• A resource on the role of SLPs in Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) is now available for ASHA members as part of an interagency initiative. It is part of a new RTI Web site on ASHA's Schools page.
• The Board of Ethics approved a final draft of the Issues in Ethics Statement on "Representation of Services for Insurance Reimbursement and Funding."
• The Billing and Reimbursement section of the ASHA Web site, The ASHA Leader Bottom Line column, the September 5, 2006 issue of the Leader, and the reimbursement seminars have made documents related to private practice business practices available. 
• PowerPoint presentations on the role of school-based speech-language pathologists for use by members to provide information for consumers and other professionals were displayed and promoted the 2006 Schools Conference.
• Two surveys requesting information from colleagues who work in other countries or have an interest in international service delivery and national Communication Sciences and Disorders organizations in other countries have been developed and field tested. 

There are 25 strategies in the work plan for Issue C. Following is the status for the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd quarter.