How is the practice of speech language pathology defined in Missouri?

“The practice of speech-language pathology” means screening, identification, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, intervention, including but not limited to prevention, restoration, amelioration and compensation, and follow-up services for disorders of:

• Speech:  Articulation, fluency, voice, including respiration, phonation and resonance.
• Language: Involving the parameters of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatic; and including disorders of receptive and expressive communication in oral, written, graphic and manual modalities.
• Oral, pharyngeal, cervical esophageal and related functions: Such as dysphagia, including disorders of swallowing and oral functions for feeding; orofacial myofunctional disorders.

• Cognitive aspects of communication: Including communication disability and other functional disabilities associated with cognitive impairment.

• Social aspects of communication: Icluding challenging behavior, ineffective social skills, lack of communication opportunities.

What is included in the practice of speech-language pathology?

• Consultation and counseling and makes referrals when appropriate.

• Training and support for family members and other communication partners of individuals with speech, voice, language, communication and swallowing disabilities.

• Development and establishment of effective augmentative and alternative communication techniques and strategies, including selecting, prescribing and dispensing of augmentative aids and devices; and the training of individuals, their families and other communication partners in their use.

• Selection, fitting and establishing effective use of appropriate prosthetic/adaptive devices for speaking and swallowing, such as tracheoesophageal valves, electrolarynges, or speaking valves.

• Use of instrumental technology to diagnose and treat disorders of communication and swallowing, such as videofluoroscopy, nasendoscopy, ultrasonography and stroboscopy.

• Providing aural rehabilitative and related counseling services to individuals with hearing loss and to their families.

• Collaborating in the assessment of central auditory processing disorders in cases in which there is evidence of speech, language or other cognitive communication disorders.

• Intervention for individuals with central auditory processing disorders.

• Conducting pure-tone air conduction hearing screening and screening tympanometry for the purpose of the initial identification or referral.

• Enhancing speech and language proficiency and communication effectiveness, including but not limited to accent reduction, collaboration with teachers of English as a second language and improvement of voice, performance and singing.

• Training and supervising support personnel.

• Developing and managing academic and clinical programs in communication sciences and disorders.

• Conducting, disseminating and application of research in communication sciences and disorders.

• Measuring outcomes of treatment and conducts continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of practices and programs to improve and maintain quality of services.

What is specifically excluded from the practice?

N/A

Are there any special trainings or requirements?

Administration of Hearing Screening Tests

Licensed speech-language pathologists may administer pure-tone air conduction hearing screening and screening tympanometry tests. Audiological tests performed for the purpose of diagnosis or treating disorders of hearing shall not be conducted by speech-language pathologists.

Speech-language pathologists may perform automated Auditory Brain-Stem Response (ABR) (also known as Auditory Evoked Potential (AEP)) screening pursuant to the following restrictions:

• The speech pathologist may not interpret test results;
• Test data must be referred to an audiologist for interpretation. Interpretation shall not mean making a medical diagnosis relating to a patient examination; and
• A licensed audiologist must assume responsibility for all referred patients.

Reference

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 345.015

20 CSR 2150-4.085