Current IDFPR Interpretation of SLPA Supervision Requirements
Published in the March 2025 issue of the ISHA Voice.
By Karen Kockler, ASHA SEAL for Illinois and member of the School Affairs Committee
In order to obtain the interpretation/clarification for the supervision of SLPAs, the following questions were sent to IDFPR in November 2024. The following is a summary of the communications between the IL ASHA SEAL and IDFPR regarding SLPA supervision.
TO IDFPR
ISHA has created an "Assistants Task Force", and a few of us are hoping you can provide clarification for the meaning of a phrase from the IL Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. The phrase in question is highlighted from Section 8.8 (b)--
(b) A speech-language pathology assistant must be under the direct supervision of a speech-language pathologist at least 30% of the speech-language pathology assistant's actual patient or client contact time per patient or client during the first 90 days of initial employment as a speech-language pathology assistant. Thereafter, a speech-language pathology assistant must be under the direct supervision of a speech-language pathologist at least 20% of the speech-language pathology assistant's actual patient or client contact time per patient or client.
- Does this mean the SLP must supervise the SLPA each and every time the SLPA is working with a patient/client? For example, if the patient/client is seen by the SLPA 30 min/wk, the supervision time would be 9 min/wk. OR
- Can the 30% of the SLPA contact time with clients/patients be calculated monthly? For example, if the patient/client services provided by the SLPA are 240 min per month, can the supervision be 30% of 240 min or 72 min/month?
RESPONSE FROM IDFPR:
“As such, the visits should be 30% of the time for each patient visit and not 30% of the collective visits over a 90-day period. In sum, the 30% should be calculated per individual visit each time the SLPA meets with a patient for 90 days of the SLPA’s mandatory 90-day supervision. For example, if the patient visits five (5) times within a 90-day period of the SLPA’s mandatory 90-day supervision, then the SLP should supervise the SLPA five (5) times for 30% of each visit. For further illustration, if the SLPA has two (2) patients within a 90-day period both being seen five (5) times, then the SLP would have supervised the SLPA during patient time on ten (10) occasions for 30% of each visit during the 90-day period.” [END OF RESPONSE]
The members of ISHA’s Assistant Task Force will be discussing this and other issues related to SLPA supervision and the language in the Practice Act. If you have questions and/or constructive suggestions for the Task Force to consider, please send them to Karen Kockler, kkockler1975@gmail.com.
