South Dakota Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Licensure Guide - 2024

Initial Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Licensure Process

South Dakota’s Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology is the agency responsible for providing regulatory advocacy, promoting public awareness, and providing speech pathology assistant licensure in South Dakota.

Educational Requirements

To qualify for a speech pathology assistant position, there are educational requirements that must be met. One pathway involves obtaining a bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution focusing primarily on communication disorders or speech-language pathology or an associate’s degree in speech-language pathology assistance. The program should cover communication disorders, workplace behaviors, and normal communication processes.

Experience Requirements

As a speech-language pathology assistant in South Dakota, you must fulfill certain experience requirements before being allowed to practice. One such requirement is completing a supervised clinical practicum of at least 100 hours. This practicum must consist of 80 hours of direct and 20 hours of indirect services, both of which must be supervised by an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP).

You can complete these hours through an academic practicum or on the job, as long as it’s with a current or former CCC-SLP and the hours are no more than 5 years old at the time of your application. In addition, your overseeing SLP must possess at least three years of professional experience as a speech-language pathologist. They must also oversee a maximum of three speech-language pathology assistants concurrently.

Testing Requirements

After finishing your education and training, you can take the SLP assistants Certification Exam offered by ASHA. This exam established the competency and knowledge standards for speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) and audiology assistants. In addition, it assesses their understanding of their role’s scope of practice, supervision requirements, and fundamental tasks. Those who pass the exam are granted the C-SLPA or C-AA credential, designating them as ASHA-certified assistants in speech-language pathology or audiology, respectively.

To be eligible to sit for the certification exam, prospective candidates must submit their application and necessary documentation for approval and pay an initial certification fee of $249. The fee encompasses the assistant certification examination expenses and one year of affiliation fees. The certification examination for speech-language pathology assistants is conducted by Prometric, acting on behalf of ASHA, and is available for testing at various centers across the United States. Additionally, the examination can be taken online with live proctoring. Comprising of 100 multiple-choice questions, all developed by proficient specialists in the industry, such as audiologists, speech-language pathologists, educators, and SLP assistants.

To pass the certification exam and earn the SLPA credential, candidates must achieve a minimum score of 162. To prepare for the exam, it is recommended that applicants review the exam materials and utilize the available exam resources for SLPAs to familiarize themselves with the format and content. They can then develop a study plan based on their knowledge of each topic area.

Application Process

To apply for a speech-language pathology assistant license in South Dakota, you must complete the necessary form and submit it along with the renewal fee to the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology. The fee is $200, comprising a non-refundable $100 application fee and a $100 licensure fee. All the required forms can be downloaded from the Board website.

To apply for an SLP assistant license under SD Codified Law Chapter 36-37, you must fill out all the forms listed below to complete your application checklist:

• Sign and notarize the application form
• If you have been licensed as a speech-language pathology assistant in other states, send a Verification of License form to each.
• Complete the Verification of Supervised Practicum form and forward it to your former supervisor for their endorsement.
• Ask your current supervisor to fill out the Supervisor’s Affidavit Form, which must be notarized.

Mail the completed application and all required documents to the Board Office. In addition, request that your college/university registrar send your official college transcripts directly to the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology. It is permissible to submit your application even if you are still awaiting transcripts/verification from another state to arrive at the board office.

Once the board receives your application and fees, they will create a file for you. Your application processing will commence only after they have received and accepted all necessary documentation. Feel free to contact the board office anytime to obtain information regarding the current status of your application.