Montana 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.

Audiology

School Setting Requirements

Must be under the direct supervision of a licensed audiologist.
Audiology aides (or assistants) must have at least a high school diploma and be trained to perform the tasks they are asked to perform Audiology Aide/Assistant 1 must complete 20 hours of continuing education annually. Audiology Aide/Assistant 2 and 3 must complete 10 hours annually.
When aides are providing direct services under a licensed supervisor to individuals under 18 years of age, the supervisor is responsible for so informing, in writing, the parent, guardian, surrogate parent or person acting as a parent of a child in the absence of a parent or guardian.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

Beginning January 1, 2024, licensure is required for audiology assistants per SB 300 [PDF] of the 2023 legislative session.
An audiology aide means a person who meets the minimum requirements established by the board and who works directly under the supervision of a licensed audiologist.
An industrial audiology aide or assistant means an aide who conducts pure tone air conduction threshold audiograms for industrial hearing tests in addition to other services.
The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the aide is adequately trained for the tasks they will perform; the amount of supervision is based on the level of aide classification.
Audiology aides/assistants must work directly under the supervision of a Montana-licensed audiologist.
In order to supervise, aide/assistant supervisors must have been licensed in Montana or another state or jurisdiction for at least one full year.
The aide/assistant supervisor must register aides/assistants annually.
Each licensee may supervise no more than three full-time equivalent aides or assistants.
As deemed appropriate by the aide/assistant supervisor, aides/assistants who are not supervised on-site may be supervised using asynchronous and synchronous methods.
Licensed audiology assistants may engage in telehealth in Montana without obtaining a separate or additional license from the licensing board.
Those who served as unlicensed audiology assistants must provide evidence to the licensing board that they meet specified requirements for a period prior to January 1, 2024.

Speech Language Pathology

School Setting Requirements

Speech-language pathology assistants (also referred to as SLP aides):

must work directly under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist,
must possess a high school diploma or equivalent,
have basic skills appropriate to specific employment situations, including acceptable communications patterns,
have the ability to work with and take direction from supervisors,
have the ability to relate to the population served, and
have the willingness to attend specific training activities as determined by the supervisor.

When aides are providing direct services under a licensed supervisor to individuals under 18 years of age, the supervisor is responsible for so informing, in writing, the parent, guardian, surrogate parent or person acting as a parent of a child in the absence of a parent or guardian.

The maximum number of assistants supervised by one professional may vary in relation to (a) tasks assigned to the assistant, (b) time limits imposed by the supervisory guidelines given below, and (c) time required of the professional in the direct provision of clinical services.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

Beginning January 1, 2024, licensure is required for speech-language pathology assistants per SB 300 [PDF] of the 2023 legislative session
Speech-Language Pathology Aide or Assistant I is defined as a person who holds an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders or has successfully completed a post-baccalaureate program in communication sciences and disorders.
Speech-Language Pathology Aide or Assistant II is a person who does not hold an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders.
The aide/assistant supervisor must register aides/assistants annually.
The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the aide is adequately trained for the tasks they will perform; the amount of supervision is based on level of aide classification.
A speech-language pathology aide/assistant must work directly under the supervision of a Montana-licensed speech-language pathologist.
In order to supervise, aide/assistant supervisors must have been licensed in Montana or another state or jurisdiction for at least one full year.
Each licensee may supervise no more than three full-time equivalent aides or assistants.
As deemed appropriate by the aide/assistant supervisor, aides/assistants who are not supervised on-site may be supervised using asynchronous and synchronous methods.
License speech-language pathology assistants may engage in telehealth in Montana without obtaining a separate or additional license from the licensing board.
Those who served as unlicensed speech-language pathology assistants must provide evidence to the licensing board that they meet specified requirements for a period prior to January 1, 2024.

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:

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 Affairs Team.