ASHA Practice Policy

ASHA's Practice Policy Documents, along with other cardinal documents of the Association, are written for and by ASHA members and approved by our governance to promulgate best practices and standards in the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology. The document types include

• Bylaws: the bylaws of ASHA, the ASHFoundation, and the ASHA-PAC
• Ethics: includes the Code of Ethics (by which all members and certificate holders are bound) and supporting documents
• Guidelines: current best practice procedures based on available evidence
• Knowledge and Skills: the knowledge and set of skills required for a particular area of practice
• Position Statement: public statements of ASHA's official stand on various issues
• Preferred Practice Patterns: the informational base for providing quality patient/client care and a focus for professional preparation, continuing education, and research
• Professional Issues Statement: a companion document to an ASHA Position Statement
• Relevant Paper: supporting and related professional documents
• Scope of Practice: an outline of the parameters of each of the professions
• Standards/Quality Indicators: documents related to certification, accreditation, and professional standards
• Technical Report: supporting documentation and research for an ASHA Position Statement

Audiology

• Preferred Practice Patterns for the Profession of Audiology
• Scope of Practice in Audiology

Bylaws

• Bylaws of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Bylaws of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Political Action Committee
• Bylaws of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation

Scope of Practice

• Scope of Practice for Audiology Assistants
• Scope of Practice for SLPAs
• Scope of Practice in Audiology
• Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

Guidelines

• Admission/Discharge Criteria in Speech-Language Pathology
• Audiologic Management of Individuals Receiving Cochleotoxic Drug Therapy
• Audiometric Symbols
• Competencies in Auditory Evoked Potential Measurement and Clinical Applications: Guidelines
• Determining Threshold Level for Speech
• Education in Audiology Practice Management
• Electrical Stimulation for Cochlear Implant Selection and Rehabilitation
• External Auditory Canal Examination and Cerumen Management
• Gender Equality in Language Use
• Guidelines for Audiologists Providing Informational and Adjustment Counseling to Families of Infants and Young Children With Hearing Loss Birth to 5 Years of Age
• Guidelines for Audiology Service Delivery in Nursing Homes
• Guidelines for Audiology Service Provision in and for Schools
• Guidelines for Fitting and Monitoring FM Systems
• Guidelines for Graduate Education in Amplification
• Guidelines for Manual Pure-Tone Threshold Audiometry
• Guidelines for Meeting the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities
• Guidelines for the Clinical Doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology
• Guidelines for the Responsible Conduct of Research: Ethics and the Publication Process
• Joint Audiology Committee Clinical Practice Statements and Algorithms
• Medicaid Guidance for School-Based Speech-Language Pathology Services: Addressing the “Under the Direction of” Rule
• Professional Performance Review Process for the School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist
• Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists and Teachers of Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Development of Communicative and Linguistic Competence
• Structure and Function of an Interdisciplinary Team for Persons With Acquired Brain Injury

Professional Issues Statements

• Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools
• The Clinical Education of Students With Accents

Technical Reports

• Access to Communication Services and Supports: Concerns Regarding the Application of Restrictive "Eligibility" Policies
• Adolescent Literacy and Older Students With Learning Disabilities
• American English Dialects
• Amplification as a Remediation Technique for Children With Normal Peripheral Hearing
• Appropriate School Facilities for Students With Speech-Language-Hearing Disorders
• Auditory Integration Training
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech
• Clinical Supervision in Speech-Language Pathology
• Cochlear Implants
• Evaluating and Treating Communication and Cognitive Disorders: Approaches to Referral and Collaboration for Speech-Language Pathology and Clinical Neuropsychology
• Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders: An Introduction
• Graduate Curriculum on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Adult and Pediatric Dysphagia)
• Inclusive Practices for Children and Youths With Communication Disorders
• Issues in Learning Disabilities: Assessment and Diagnosis
• Learning Disabilities and Young Children: Identification and Intervention
• Loss to Follow-Up in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
• Medicaid Guidance for Speech-Language Pathology Services: Addressing the "Under the Direction of" Rule
• Multiskilled Personnel
• Professional Performance Appraisal by Individuals Outside the Professions of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
• Provision of Instruction in English as a Second Language by Speech-Language Pathologists in School Settings
• Responsiveness to Intervention and Learning Disabilities
• Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists and Teachers of Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Development of Communicative and Linguistic Competence
• Service Provision to Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Birth to 36 Months
• State and District-Wide Assessments and Students With Learning Disabilities: A Guide for States and School Districts
• Students and Professionals Who Speak English with Accents and Nonstandard Dialects: Issues and Recommendations
• The Audiologist's Role in Occupational Hearing Conservation and Hearing Loss Prevention Programs
• The Documentation Disconnect for Students With Learning Disabilities: Improving Access to Postsecondary Disability Services
• The Role of Research and the State of Research Training Within Communication Sciences and Disorders
• The Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist, the Teacher of Singing, and the Speaking Voice Trainer in Voice Habilitation
• The Use of Voice Therapy in the Treatment of Dysphonia

Relevant Papers

• A Model for Collaborative Service Delivery for Students With Language-Learning Disorders in the Public Schools
• Autonomy of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
• Calibration of Speech Signals Delivered Via Earphones
• Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
• Definitions of Communication Disorders and Variations
• Issues: Occupational and Environmental Hearing Conservation
• Language
• Learning Disabilities: Issues in Higher Education
• Learning Disabilities: Issues on Definition
• Learning Disabilities: Preservice Preparation of General and Special Education Teachers
• Learning Disabilities: Use of Paraprofessionals
• Model Bill of Rights for People Receiving Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology Services
• Official Title: Speech-Language Pathologist
• On the Definition of Hearing Handicap
• Operationalizing the NJCLD Definition of Learning Disabilities for Ongoing Assessment in Schools
• Professional Development for Teachers
• Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations
• Secondary to Postsecondary Education Transition Planning for Students With Learning Disabilities
• Severely Hearing Handicapped
• Short Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials
• Sound Field Measurement Tutorial
• The Roles of Otolaryngologists and Speech-Language Pathologists in the Performance and Interpretation of Strobovideolaryngoscopy
• Tympanometry

Speech-Language Pathology

• Preferred Practice Patterns for the Profession of Speech-Language Pathology
• Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
• Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Scope of Practice