Jenness Roth (TN Boling) named to Tennessee Council on Autism Spectrum Disorder

September 8, 2017

On April 5, Governor Bill Haslam signed legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly that creates the Tennessee Council on Autism Spectrum Disorder to establish a long-term plan for a system of care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.

Jenness Roth, Family Faculty Coordinator at University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, was one of the nine "citizen" gubernatorial appointees to this Council. She will serve a three-year term alongside the heads of a variety of governmental agencies. She is the parent of a 31-year-old son with ASD.

The legislation charges the Council to (1) assess the current and future impact of ASD on Tennessee residents; (2) assess the availability of programs and services currently provided for early screening, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD; (3) seek additional input and recommendations from stakeholders, including, but not limited to, families, providers, clinicians, institutions of higher education, and those concerned with the health and quality of life for individuals with ASD; (4) develop a comprehensive statewide plan for an integrated system of training, treatment, and services for individuals with ASD; (5) ensure interagency collaboration as the comprehensive statewide system of care for individuals with ASD is developed and implemented; (6) coordinate available resources related to developing and implementing a system of care for individuals with ASD; and (7) coordinate state budget requests related to systems of care for individuals with ASD based on the studies and recommendations of the Council.