Arizona Assistants (Support Personnel) Requirements

The following information audiology and speech-language pathology assistants and support personnel requirements in educational and other practice settings. The information is reviewed on an annual basis. Please be advised that regulations and policy may change at any time, so always check with your state for the most up-to-date information.

Audiology

School Setting Requirements

N/A

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

N/A

Speech-Language Pathology

School Setting Requirements

Speech-Language Technician

1. A bachelor's degree from an accredited program in speech-language pathology, speech-hearing science, or communication disorders.
2. A minimum of 50 hours of university supervised observation.
3. One of the following:
1. A minimum of 150 university clinical clock hours;
2. A minimum of 150 clock hours supervised by a master's level licensed speech-language pathologist; or
3. Two years of experience as a school speech-language therapist or technician.
4. A passing score on the speech and language impaired special education portion of the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment.
5. One of the following:
1. A photocopy of a valid Arizona IVP fingerprint card issued on or after January 1, 2008 or
2. A photocopy of a valid Arizona fingerprint clearance card issued prior to January 1, 2008.
6. Speech-language technicians must complete 180 clock hours of graduate level coursework every six years in the field of speech pathology or professional development in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, language disorders, low incidence disabilities, professional issues, ethics, or service delivery models.

Note: No new applications for a speech-language technician certificate are accepted after June 30, 2014.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

1. Speech-language pathology assistants (SLPA) must be licensed with the state Department of Health Services in all settings (no exemption for school-based individuals).
2. To be eligible for licensure as an SLPA, an applicant shall have: completed an approved training program from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university consisting of a minimum of sixty semester credit hours of coursework with the following curriculum content:
   • 20 to 40 semester credit hours of general education or a bachelor’s degree.
   • 20 to 40 semester credit hours of speech-language pathology technical coursework.
   • A minimum of 100 hours of clinical interaction under the supervision of a licensed master's level speech-language pathologist,
   • Have not had a license revoked/suspended by a state within the past two years, and not be presently ineligible for licensure in any state because of a prior revocation or suspension.
3. SLPA licensing requirements may be waived if the SLPA holds certification from a nationally recognized speech-language-hearing association that has been approved by the Department of Health Services. All services of an SLPA are performed under the direction and supervision of a state licensed SLP who has at least two years of full-time professional experience.
4. The licensed supervisor may direct no more than two full-time or three part-time SLPAs at one time.
5. A minimum of 20% direct supervision and 10% indirect supervision is required of all the time that the assistant is providing services during the first 90 days of employment.
6. After the first 90 days, a minimum of 10% direct and 10% indirect supervision is required.
7. The supervising SLP may adjust the amount of supervision if they determine that the SLPA meets appropriate competencies and skill levels regarding various disorders of communication and related disorders.
8. At least 10% direct supervision and 10% indirect supervision of all the time that the SLPA is providing services during the first thirty days of employment is required if the SLPA completed supervision at a previous employer, that meets specified standards, and provides documentation of that supervision to the supervising SLP. After the first 30 days of the SLPAs employment, the supervising SLP may adjust the amount of supervision if the supervising SLP determines that the SLPA meets appropriate competencies and skill levels regarding various disorders of communication and related disorders.
9. All periods of supervisions are to be documented and each client should be informed when the services of a SLPA are being provided.
10. A licensed SLP may supervise an SLPA via telecommunication technology, as the SLPA provides clinical activities, if the supervising SLP can provide ongoing immediate feedback throughout the clinical activity being provided.
11. Ten hours of continuing education each year in areas related to clinical services is required.

Resources

For further information on laws and regulations for speech-language pathology and audiology support personnel in educational and other practice settings, please visit this website:

Rules for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants 

To see where your state stands on support personnel licensure trends, please view the trend charts which are updated periodically:

• Support Personnel in Schools Settings [PDF]
• Support Personnel Excluding Schools Settings [PDF]

Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.