Advocacy for SLPs on Interdisciplinary Teams Working with Autism

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the professionals who provide services for people with communication needs. SLPs are critical service providers for individuals with autism, who typically need support for language and social communication skills. Autistic individuals also may need augmentative and alternative communication systems (AAC); such services are the purview of SLPs. At times, applied behavior analysts (ABAs) are also involved with children with autism. However, they are sometimes used to the exclusion of SLPs even though a core concern of autism is language and social communication. The use of ABAs on a team should never exclude the involvement of an SLP when communication needs are apparent.

Serving on interprofessional teams is essential for SLPs in early intervention and school-based settings to ensure that children receive all necessary and appropriate services. Teams consist of a variety of professionals, and may include ABAs, depending on a child’s needs. ASHA’s advocacy efforts strive to educate the public about the critical role of SLPs on teams that serve children with language and social communication needs and informs payers of the medically necessary services SLPs provide:

• ASHA is committed to ensuring members have access to and receive equitable reimbursement for the services they provide, including access to AAC services and supports. ASHA is actively engaged with ensuring Current Procedural Terminology (CPT® American Medical Association) codes are developed to maintain our scope of practice and participates in discussions with organizations committed to people with autism.
• ASHA met with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Education to address the exclusion of SLPs in individualized family service plans (IFSP) and individualized education programs (IEP). As a result, CMS sent a letter to all medical directors in the U.S stating that only one service should not be provided for children and that State Medicaid agencies are responsible for determining what services are medically necessary for eligible individuals.
• CMS encouraged adherence to the long-standing obligations of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefits available for individuals from birth to age 21 for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder. The letter from CMS was also quoted by the U.S. Department of Education in a letter [PDF] to offer guidance and made these standards applicable to school-based services.
• At the state level, ASHA has submitted letters to individual states to recommend amendments or to oppose planned policies that would negatively impact ASHA members and their role in treating individuals with autism. ASHA continues to monitor state trends and will engage accordingly.

ASHA will aggressively continue its efforts to ensure that members are able to maintain their place on interdisciplinary teams and support legislation that helps those that we serve reach successful outcomes.

Tips for Raising Awareness

SLPs can advocate to raise awareness by educating those around you about your role and the work of SLPs. Use these ASHA resources.

• Interdisciplinary Team: Make sure all members of an interdisciplinary team understand the importance of your role, including the provision of AAC services.
• Contributions: Inform families, educators, and payers about your contributions to communication and your unique position in making sure that a child is progressing and reaching their academic goals. You can educate others in conversations with families and other professionals about the services you provide or consider offering in-service programs to families, school staff, and physicians in your local community to share information about your work as an SLP.
• State Association: Reach out to your state speech-language-hearing association to learn more about the current issues within your state and approaches to advocate on state issues that impact your ability to provide services and receive reimbursement.

Questions?

Email Doanne Ward-Williams, CCC-SLP, ASHA’s director of state affairs, at dwardwilliams@asha.org, or Ann-Mari Pierotti, CCC-SLP, ASHA’s associate director, clinical issues in speech-language-pathology, at apierotti@asha.org.