Suddenly the American Speech-Language Hearing Association has come out against the state licensure bill for music therapy in the state of Georgia.
You can read their call to action here.
I am not sure why this friction between AMTA and ASHA is bubbling up, but I think we should be active in trying to quell the notion that music therapy and speech therapy are somehow in competition with each other. I have worked with speech therapists for many years and have the utmost respect for them! I also feel like many of them have been pleased with my use of music to co-treat on targeted goals and objectives.
Please talk to your colleagues in speech therapy and help them understand that we certainly do have a scope of practice and it does not infringe upon the scope of practice endorsed by ASHA. Our friends in speech therapy will have to be informed so that they can battle the misconceptions from within their own organization.
Is ASHA only concerned about their monetary turf and status? What about the needs of the clients? If the client will clearly benefit from music therapy, then why should music therapy not bill using appropriate insurance and medical codes?
Speech therapy is a large and well-respected profession. There is no need for them to feel threatened by music therapy. Perhaps the legislation before the Georgia lawmakers can be amicably revised instead of being rushed into open conflict?
You can read their call to action here.
I am not sure why this friction between AMTA and ASHA is bubbling up, but I think we should be active in trying to quell the notion that music therapy and speech therapy are somehow in competition with each other. I have worked with speech therapists for many years and have the utmost respect for them! I also feel like many of them have been pleased with my use of music to co-treat on targeted goals and objectives.
Please talk to your colleagues in speech therapy and help them understand that we certainly do have a scope of practice and it does not infringe upon the scope of practice endorsed by ASHA. Our friends in speech therapy will have to be informed so that they can battle the misconceptions from within their own organization.
Is ASHA only concerned about their monetary turf and status? What about the needs of the clients? If the client will clearly benefit from music therapy, then why should music therapy not bill using appropriate insurance and medical codes?
Speech therapy is a large and well-respected profession. There is no need for them to feel threatened by music therapy. Perhaps the legislation before the Georgia lawmakers can be amicably revised instead of being rushed into open conflict?
