Idaho Assistants (Support Personnel) Requirements

The following information includes 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.

Speech-Language Pathology

School Setting Requirements

All paraprofessionals in Title I settings must have:

A high school diploma or equivalent and have completed two years of study at an institution of higher education, or
Obtained an associate's or higher degree, or
Met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate on formal state or local academic assessment (including a passing score on the ETS Parapro Assessment).

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

Licensure as a speech-language pathology assistant requires:

An associate's degree from a nationally accredited school of speech-language pathology with a curriculum approved by the Speech and Hearing Services Licensure Board (Board) and pass an the speech-language pathology assistant exam offered by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association..
Applicants may never have had a license as a speech-language pathology assistant revoked as part of a disciplinary action and shall not be found by the Board to have engaged in conduct that would constitute grounds for disciplinary action.
The supervising speech-language pathologist shall accept full responsibility for the tasks and activities of all support personnel under their direction and supervision. Such personnel shall be identified by the title "support personnel," "aide," or "assistant."

Assistants must complete 10 contact hours of continuing education annually.

Audiology

School Setting Requirements

All paraprofessionals hired after January 8, 2002 in Title I settings must:

A high school diploma or equivalent and have completed two years of study at an institution of higher education, or
Obtained an associate's or higher degree, or
Met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate on formal state or local academic assessment (including a passing score on the ETS Parapro Assessment).

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

Audiology Support Personnel

Audiology support personnel are not licensed but must work under the direction and supervision of a licensed audiologist.
The supervising audiologist is responsible for the training of audiology support personnel and for maintaining a written record of completed training activity.
Supervising audiologists should ensure that the scope and intensity of training is sufficient to prepare audiology support personnel to successfully perform assigned tasks.
Training should be well-defined and specific to the assigned tasks.
Direct supervision requires in-view real-time observation and guidance while an assigned activity is performed. This requirement can be met when the supervisor is providing supervision from a distant site using two way video and audio transmission.
Training should be competency based and be provided through a variety of formal and informal instructional methods accompanied by written policies and procedures.
Tasks must occur under the supervision of a licensed audiologist.
Training should include the identification of and appropriate response to linguistic and cultural challenges which may affect the delivery of service.
The number of audiology support personnel that an audiologist may supervise at any one time must be consistent with the delivery of appropriate, quality service.

Resources

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

School Setting Requirements:

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

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