Virginia 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
Speech-Language Pathology
The special education staffing requirements do not include a paraprofessional for speech-language caseloads as they do for classroom special education teachers but this does not prohibit the use of paraprofessionals. There is no credentialing of speech-language pathology assistants, resulting in local determination of the nature, degree, and quantity of training.
Statutory and Regulatory Requirements
- A licensed audiologist or speech-language pathologist shall provide documented supervision to unlicensed assistants.
- A supervising licensed audiologist or speech-language pathologist shall be held fully responsible for an assistants performance and activities, and shall ensure that they perform only those activities that do not constitute the practice of audiology or speech-language pathology and that are commensurate with their level of training.
- The identity of the unlicensed assistant shall be disclosed to the client prior to treatment.
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 and Audiology Assistants
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.