SLPs, Speech Therapists, and SLPAs

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month (BSHM). Do you think about your speech or swallowing when you do not have any problems?  Probably not.  But when you have a problem, who do you see? The answer is Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs).  You may have heard of speech-language pathologists, speech therapists, or speech teachers.  In schools, some SLPs may call themselves speech teachers because it is child-friendly.  However, SLPs are not teachers unless they also have teaching certificates.

SLPs complete our training in graduate schools and take the certification exam to satisfy the licensure requirements set by each state.  Before being fully licensed and certified, we work as interns.  This stage is also called the Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellow Year (SLP-CFY). Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellows (SLP-CFs) work under the supervision of fully licensed/certified SLPs. When we talk about the license, the regulations vary by state.  

Most SLPs are also certified by our national organization, the American Speech-Langage Hearing Association (ASHA), which issues the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). Some states allow us to practice with the state license alone. Other states require both state license and ASHA's certification.

In addition to having a speech pathologist on your team, you may also have a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) or a speech therapy assistant. SLPAs are individuals with an Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in relevant disciplines. They work under the supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists. Speech therapy assistants work closely with SLPs and follow treatment plans designed by the supervising SLPs.

RESOURCES:

SLPA

https://www.asha.org/certification/education-pathways-to-speech-language-pathology-assistants-certification/

https://www.asha.org/assistants-certification-program/slpa-faqs/#b1

SLP

https://www.asha.org/slp/

https://www.asha.org/policy/sp2016-00343/