Delaware Early Intervention Requirements for Practice
The information below is collected from state licensure boards or regulatory agencies responsible for developing requirements for the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology to work in the early intervention setting. The information is reviewed on an annual basis. Please be advised that laws, regulations, and policies may change at any time, so always check with your state for the most up-to-date information.
Audiology
Education
Master's degree
Certification/Licensure
- State licensure is issued by the Delaware Board of Examiners of Speech-language Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers.
- Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A)
Prerequisite Training
- Pediatric experience
- Pediatric coursework
- Supervised experience with infants and toddlers
Any new early intervention providers without at least 6 months previous Part C/Early Intervention (EI) experience will be required to complete a 6 month mentoring period with their agency. A written plan for mentoring should be submitted to the Part C Quality Management (QM) Coordinator for approval. During this period they will receive mentoring and supervision from an identified mentor on the philosophy of early intervention, the role of the EI provider and best practice including routines based intervention with families. It is expected that they will be observed a minimum of one time with each new child/family assigned to them during their mentoring period.
Speech-Language Pathology
Education
Master's degree
Certification/Licensure
- State licensure is issued by the Delaware Board of Examiners of Speech-language Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers.
- Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
Prerequisite Training
- Coursework in parent-infant interaction in context of communication, alternative service delivery model, and oral-motor development/feeding
- Supervised experience with infants, toddlers, and families
Any new early intervention providers without at least 6 months previous Part C/Early Intervention experience will be required to complete a six month mentoring period with their agency. A written plan for mentoring should be submitted to the Part C QM Coordinator for approval. During this period they will receive mentoring and supervision from an identified mentor on the philosophy of early intervention, the role of the EI provider and best practice including routines based intervention with families. It is expected that they will be observed a minimum of 1 time with each new child/family assigned to them during their mentoring period.
Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellow
Education
Master's degree
Certification/Licensure
State licensure is issued by the Delaware Board of Examiners of Speech-language Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers.
Prerequisite Training
- Coursework in parent-infant interaction in context of communication, alternative service delivery model, and oral-motor development/feeding.
- Supervised experience with infants, toddlers, and families.
Birth to Three allows the use of licensed Clinical Fellows (CF’s) following State regulations and ASHA standards. If the CF is working in more than one setting, the percentage of direct onsite contact with the mentor should be equivalent to time spent working in EI. For example, a CF who is working in EI for 50% of their clinical fellowship, should have at least three hours (50% of six) of direct onsite supervision with their mentor during each segment.
Agency Oversight
Delaware Health & Social Services, Birth to Three Early Intervention System
Resources
For further information regarding audiologists and speech-language pathologists working in the early intervention setting, please visit these websites:
Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.
