Dear Colleagues on the Board of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology,

Thank you for providing a forum to provide input regarding the regulation of speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 As regulations are considered, please consider the following ideas:

The educational requirements and training required to become a SLPA must be clearly stipulated.   Please consider a BS or BA in communication disorders or speech-language pathology to be the minimum requirement for SLPAs, with some provision for those individuals who are already functioning in this capacity to continue in to work, as they meet this requirement over time.

The role of SLPAs and the role of supervising SLPs (specific expectations and procedures) must be clearly stated in guidelines based on ethics and practices outlined by national and state organizations (ASHA and SHAV).

• These guidelines should include specific actions that SLPAs will be allowed to complete versus the specific components of practices that can only be completed by the licensed SLP, i.e., SLPAs can function within prescripted activities and not be responsible for diagnosis or interpretation of any communication disorder.
• Supervision requirements must specify minimum percentage or number of hours per week that each SLPA must be supervised as well as the proportion of therapy sessions for each client that must be conducted by the licensed SLP rather than the SLPA to ensure that each client receives adequate guidance from the supervising SLP.  Some provision should be made to stipulate that SLPAs work with supervising SLPs within a reasonable physical proximity.

Employers should not be able to place SLPAs with SLPs who have less than 2 years of experience following the completion of the requirements for national certification.  Additionally, the supervising SLP should have coursework or continuing education credits specific to supervision practices prior to becoming a supervisor for a SLPA.

• That supervising an SLPA not be a mandatory requirement but rather a choice of the SLP who must consider professional factors related to caseload, workload, professional responsibilities, etc.
• That a fair professional compensation (financial/professional development opportunity) be provided that recognizes the time, professionalism and scope of responsibilities required of supervising SLPs.

Procedures for recourse should be stated regarding any potential conflicts that may arise for supervising SLPs relative to their employers, and the individual SLPAs they are asked to supervise, and their clients’ welfare.

Thank you for your careful consideration of the regulatory actions that will protect us, the licensed SLPs, and most importantly the people of the Commonwealth whom we serve.

Sincerely,

Alisha P. Springle, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

Lecturer/Clinical Educator

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 23529-0136