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April is OT Month
Federal and State Autism Legislation
While there are many autism-related bills at both
federal and state levels of government, the following are brief
overviews of legislation in which AOTA has been the most
involved.
Federal
Combating Autism Act of 2006
Funding for the Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006 was given
a boost with the inclusion of $211 million in President
Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal. If this funding
is approved by Congress and included in the final budget, it
would support biomedical and environmental research,
surveillance, awareness, and early identification.
Empowering Children with Autism through Education
Act of 2007
(H.R. 2609 in the 110th Congress; not
passed into law. Expected to be reintroduced in the
111th Congress.)
This bill requires the Secretary of Education to establish
the Empowering Children with Autism through Education Task
Force to identify and disseminate evidence-based educational
strategies and promising best practices to improve the quality
of learning for individuals with autism in grades K-12, with
regard to the following:
- Learning models, interventions, and services that
demonstrate improvements in reading, writing and math
proficiency
- The cost-effectiveness of these learning models,
interventions and services, and their applicability for local
education agencies
- Professional development needs of
educators
- Methods for incorporating state-, local- and
community-based programs and services into the classroom to
provide comprehensive support
- Identification of barriers to successful implementation
of programs and services and recommendations to address those
barriers
- Dissemination of findings to Congress, all relevant
agencies and states and U.S. territories to improve the
quality of learning for individuals with
autism.
Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism
Act of 2007
(S. 937, H.R. 1881 introduced in the 110th
Congress; not passed. Expected to be reintroduced in the 111th
Congress.)
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require
the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:
- Convene, on behalf of the Interagency Autism Coordinating
Committee, a Treatments, Interventions, and Services
Evaluation Task Force to evaluate evidence-based biomedical
and behavioral treatments and services for individuals with
autism
- Establish multi-year demonstration grant programs for
states to provide evidence-based autism treatments,
interventions and services
- Establish planning and demonstration grant programs for
adults with autism
- Award grants to states for access to autism services
following diagnosis
- Award grants to University Centers of Excellence for
Developmental Disabilities to provide services and address
the unmet needs of individuals with autism and their
families
- Make grants to protection and advocacy systems to address
the needs of individuals with autism and other emerging
populations of individuals with disabilities
- Award a grant to a national nonprofit organization for
the establishment and maintenance of a national technical
assistance center for autism services and information
dissemination.
State
- Autism Speaks, a national organization dedicated to
addressing problems related to Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD), has been extremely active in advocating for insurance
mandate initiatives in many state legislatures.
Its model legislation recognizes the important role that
occupational therapy can play in treatment by including
occupational therapy in the list of services that must be
covered under health insurance products offered in the state.
- AOTA also recognizes the valuable part that occupational
therapy practitioners can play in helping individuals and
families who are coping with these disorders to live their
lives to the fullest extent possible. AOTA has worked with
state associations in support of mandate initiatives
specifically including coverage for occupational therapy.
Conclusion
With the increase in autism diagnoses and the rise in
legislative initiatives mandating coverage and promoting
research and new interventions, the need for qualified
occupational therapy practitioners will also increase. AOTA has
numerous resources available to its members regarding
occupational therapy's role in autism and ASD
interventions. Membership in AOTA and your state association
provides the resources needed to advocate for the inclusion and
coverage of occupational therapy in initiatives relating to
this expanding and important area of practice.
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