Massachusetts Support Personnel Laws and Regulations

The following information includes laws and regulations for speech-language pathology and audiology support personnel 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.

School Setting Requirements

To be eligible for licensure by the Board as a speech-language pathology assistant or audiology assistant, an applicant shall:

1. Possess at minimum, an associate's degree in a speech-language pathology or audiology from a training program approved by a national certifying body or a bachelor's degree from a college with a speech-language pathology assistant or audiology assistant certificate program or a bachelors degree with a major in the area of speech-language pathology or audiology or possess an associate, bachelor or advanced degree and complete 18 credit hours in coursework, 6 of which must be in disorders of speech, language or hearing; other coursework as Board approved.
2. Complete 20 hours of observation of clinical practice with a licensed audiologist or speech-language pathologist.
3. Patients must be informed which services are to be provided by an assistant.
4. Each month 10% of services by assistants must be under director supervision with an additional 10% supervised either directly or indirectly.
5. Supervisors must be licensed and have been practicing for 2 years and may supervise a maximum of 3 assistants at any given time

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

To be eligible for licensure by the Board as a speech-language pathology assistant or audiology assistant, an applicant shall:

1. Possess at minimum, an associate's degree in a speech-language pathology or audiology from a training program approved by a national certifying body or a bachelor's degree from a college with a speech-language pathology assistant or audiology assistant certificate program or a bachelors degree with a major in the area of speech-language pathology or audiology or possess an associate, bachelor or advanced degree and complete 18 credit hours in coursework, 6 of which must be in disorders of speech, language or hearing; other coursework as Board approved.
2. Complete 20 hours of observation of clinical practice with a licensed audiologist or speech-language pathologist.
3. Patients must be informed with services are to be provided by an assistant.
4. Each month 10% of services by assistants must be under director supervision with an additional 10% supervised either directly or indirectly.
5. Supervisors must be licensed and have been practicing for 2 years and may supervise a maximum of 3 assistants at any given time

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:

Rules and Regulations for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Assistants

Application and Licensing Requirements

To see where your state stands on support personnel licensure trends, please view the trend chart which is updated at the end of each calendar year:

Support Personnel [PDF]

Questions regarding this information? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.