Learning Objectives

A speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) works in preK-12 education settings under the supervision of a master’s degree speech-language pathologist (SLP). Training and licensure requirements for SLPAs vary by state.

A USU Certificate in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant can be obtained with 9 undergraduate courses (25 semester credit hours). Students can enroll in the certificate after completing at least an associate’s degree. Students typically earn the certificate concurrently with or after earning the bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders, but the certificate can be completed without a bachelor’s degree. The SLPA certificate program involves a subset of the courses taken for the BA/BS plus a SLPA field experience (SHS 5960). For further information, see BA/BS Assessment and SLPA webpages.

Upon completion of a USU SLPA Certificate, students will demonstrate knowledge and skills across the following areas:

1. Basic human communication sciences 
2. Childhood speech and language disorders   
3. Management of communication disorders within SLPA scope of practice
4. SLPA technical proficiencies and professionalism  

Knowledge and skills are built across the SLPA curriculum by four levels of instructional emphasis, as explained below and in Table 1.

1. Introduced - initial instruction on knowledge and skills of a program objective
2. Developed - builds upon prior introductory knowledge and skills with depth and/or breadth but not the main instructional attention
3. Focused - the main instructional attention, builds upon prior knowledge and skills with further depth and/or breadth
4. Reviewed - in addition to the main course focus, requires incorporation of prior knowledge and skills

 

Table 1. How Knowledge and Skills are Built Across the Curriculum by Level of Instructional Emphasis

		Objective
Course	SLPA - Human Communication Sciences	SLPA - Childhood Communication Disorders	SLPA Clinical Management	SLPA Technical Proficiencies & Professionalism
SHS 2600 Intro to Comm Disorders	Introduced	Introduced	Introduced	Introduced
SHS 2400 Observation		Introduced	Developed	Introduced
SHS 3200 Child Language Development	Focused	Introduced	N/A	N/A
SHS 3500 Phonetics & Phonological Development	Focused	Introduced	N/A	N/A
SHS 3800 Anatomy & Physiology of Speech & Hearing	Focused	Introduced	N/A	N/A
SHS 4450 Developmental Communication Disorders	Reviewed	Focused	Developed	Introduced
SHS 5120 Mgmt of Speech Sound Disorders (Option)	Reviewed	Developed	Focused	Developed
SHS 4200 Clinical Methods	Reviewed	Reviewed	Focused	Developed
SHS 5960 SLPA Clinical Experience	N/A	Reviewed	Focused	Focused