ASHA and Dept of Ed Guidance on Services for Children with ASDAs many of you know, OSHA has been heavily involved in Oregon legislative activities related to services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In particular, we have provided substantial input on recent bills that have created a mandate for insurance coverage of ABA services for children with ASD. OSHA stands in strong support for the provision of appropriate services for children with such a diagnosis, including, where appropriate, ABA services.Oregon is not unique in having a mandate for coverage of ABA services, and there have been reports from some areas that recent mandates for coverage of ABA services have been interpreted to mean that only ABA services should be provided for children with ABA. ASHA has been working on this issue recently, and they have collaborated with the Department of Education (DOE) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue some guidance documents relating to the role of Speech & Language Services for children with ASD.If you are a Speech-Language Pathologist, and you find yourself in a situation where Speech/Language services are being unreasonably denied, please feel free to make use of these resources to increase awareness of the unique contribution of our services to clients with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Links to the relevant documents:ASHA Press Release regarding Speech/Language services for clients with ASDDOE/CMS Guidance Cover LetterUS DOE Guidance Letter on services for ASD
