By: Gina Glover, MS, CCC-SLP, TSHA Executive Council Member, and Sherry Sancibrian, MS, CCC-SLP, BSC-CL, Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Advisory Board Presiding Officer
“Speech therapist,” “speech,” “speech helper,” “SLP-A,” and the dreaded “speech teacher” are all terms we’ve heard before. Most of the time, it is people outside of our professions using these terms to refer to us, but sometimes, even some within our own professions use these terms. To muddy things a bit further, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recently launched the certification process for audiology and speech-language pathology assistants. The titles and acronyms for those certifications led to a discussion recently about how professionals in Texas refer to themselves and the acronyms they use. The purpose of this article is to clear up any confusion and reiterate what is acceptable for those who practice in Texas.
In Texas, our professions are guided by state licensure laws and administrative rules. The terms and acronyms we use to refer to ourselves are clearly stated. It is quite simple. Here are the terms we are allowed to use in the state of Texas:
- Speech-language pathologist (SLP)
- Audiologist
- Assistant speech-language pathologist or speech-language pathology assistant (Assistant SLP or SLP Assistant)
- Assistant in audiology or audiology assistant
- Intern in speech-language pathology or speech-language pathology intern (Intern SLP or SLP Intern)
- Audiology intern
So, let’s take some questions about this.
We still hear some SLPs refer to themselves as “speech therapists” or “speech pathologists.” That’s OK, right?
No, it actually is not correct. Using those terms neglects a crucial component of our scope of practice. The “language” component is equally as important as the “speech” component. Have you ever heard anyone say they are a “language pathologist?” Sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it? That’s because it denies the “speech” part of what we do. It is critical that both components of our title are used. It also subtly educates others about our scope of practice. Finally, licensure rules and ASHA state our title is “speech-language pathologist” so that is the title we can use.
Why can’t an Assistant SLP just use the acronyms “SLPA,” “SLP-A,” “ASLP,” or “SLP/A”?
There are two primary reasons they cannot. One reason is there are professionals within our fields who hold dual certification and dual licensure in both speech-language pathology and audiology. The use of the acronyms above could be confused with someone who has dual certification. Another reason is the use of assistant speech-language pathologist (Assistant SLP) or speech-language pathology assistant (SLP Assistant) is consistent with other professionals we encounter in our fields such as “assistant director,” “assistant superintendent,” “assistant professor,” “assistant principal,” “physician’s assistant,” “physical therapist assistant,” and “occupational therapy assistant,” to name a few. Finally, we have to use the terms licensure has specified.
If I am certified by ASHA as an SLP Assistant, how do I designate that in Texas?
An Assistant SLP who is ASHA-certified could refer to themselves as an “ASHA-certified Assistant SLP” just as an SLP might refer to themselves as an “ASHA-certified SLP.” However, most ASHA certified individuals note their certification through their “CCC” designation within their professional signatures. For certified SLP Assistants, examples for that would be:
Jane Smith, BS, C-SLPA
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
Jane Smith, BS, C-SLPA
Assistant Speech-Language Pathologist
The abbreviation of your title would still be “Assistant SLP” or “SLP Assistant.”
I’m an assistant SLP but my SLP supervisor refers to me as “SLP’s assistant.” Is that title acceptable? I don’t particularly care for it.
No. That is not an acceptable title. That implies you are the SLP’s personal assistant, and that is not your role. It would be advisable for the SLP and Assistant SLP in a team relationship to review the roles and responsibilities under licensure on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) website.
I’m an assistant, and I would prefer to be called “speech therapist” since that is what I do. Why isn’t that acceptable?
As mentioned previously, using “speech” alone neglects a crucial component of our scope of practice—“language.” While the term “therapist” is often used in our fields, the term “pathologist” is preferred because it encompasses the broader scope of what we do. “Speech therapist” is an older term that was used more widely when the scope of practice was limited to just speech disorders. Most importantly, “speech therapist” has the connotation of an independent provider. Therefore, it has the potential to mislead the public, which is specifically against licensure rules.
If we’re being honest, even “speech-language pathologist” does not fully cover what all we do. Perhaps we should be called “speech-language-swallowing-cognitive-executive-function-literacy-social-skills pathologist.”
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