Have you heard about the Autism Insurance Bill that is happening this session?  This bill for the 2008 legislative session will require private insurance policies covering groups with more than 50 employees to provide coverage for the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (i.e. Asperger syndrome, Autism and PDD-NOS) and medically necessary treatment associated with the disorders. Treatment slated for coverage includes behavioral, speech, occupational and physical therapies. The bill will be introduced in mid-January when the legislative session begins. Please visit www.azautisminsurance.org  for more information and to learn how to become actively involved in ensuring the bill becomes law.

ArSHA’s Executive Board has determined that there is a need to update the By-Laws of the Association.  In compliance with Article XIII, this is the 30 day notice set forth in Section 1B ii of the current By-Laws.  We have provided you with the proposed changes and a copy of the current By-Laws. ArSHA members will be given the opportunity to vote on the proposed By-Law changes at the Annual Business meeting that will be conducted at the ASU-ArSHA Speech-Language-Hearing Conference held April 5, 2008 at Arizona State University. 

An important part of any career is participation in professional activities that go beyond the walls of a place of employment. Volunteerism is needed to forge ties with the community by spreading the message of the work we do and sustaining the vitality of our professions.

(Rockville, MD-January 4, 2008)  With President Bush recently signing into law H.R. 2764, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) has received a one-year and one-time grant of $268,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to address the critical shortage of doctoral level students studying in the field of communication sciences and disorders.

(Rockville, MD – July 20) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is one of six associations nationally to be selected by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) to receive its prestigious 2007 Summit Award.

ASHA won the award for its Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) campaign which promotes hearing screening of newborns at birth.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, which would reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The bill would eliminate nearly $19 billion in student loan lender subsidies and use the money to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount by $500 over five years and finance a series of measures aimed at making college loans more affordable.