Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

Catalog Description

This degree prepares students for employment as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). An SLPA works with clients/patients with communication disorders, under the supervision of a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Communication disorders affect people of all ages, including infants, children, young adults and older adults. Students will be trained to assist SLPs with the assessment and treatment of people with articulation, language, voice, fluency and other communication disorders. There are a variety of locations of practice which include educational, clinical and medical settings. Upon successful completion of this degree, the graduate will be eligible to apply to the Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Board (SLPAHADB) of the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs for registration as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. Students will also be eligible to apply to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for the voluntary Speech-Language Pathology Assistants Certification.  

 

1.Prerequisites and Enrollment Limitations 

Before applying for admission, prospective students should consider the following information: 

If selected for admission to the program, students are required to submit an application for a pre-clinical check. This may include background information such as County Criminal Records, Social Security Alert, Nationwide Healthcare Fraud & Abuse Registry, and Nationwide Sexual Offender Registry.  The pre-clinical check may also include immunization history and drug screening, physical examination,  criminal background/drug screen clearance,  CPR, HIPAA training, or other clinical site requirements  and  student malpractice liability insurance.  This will be at the student’s cost. If the pre-clinical check is not successful, the student will forfeit their admission. 

Program prerequisites include students successfully complete, with grade "C" or better, MEDI 90: Medical Terminology and the following GE courses: ENGL 1A /1AH (area A-2) :Freshman Composition , SPCH 1A /1AH or 2 (area A-1): Public Speaking or Fundamentals of Communication, ANAT 10A or 35 (area B) Intro. To Human Anatomy or Human Anatomy and CHLD 10 /10H/11 or PSYC 14/14H SOC 15 (area E): Child Growth and Lifespan Development or Child and Adolescent Development, Developmental Psychology or Child Development. 

 

2.Requirements 

To be eligible to earn the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Associate of Science degree, a student must successfully complete, with a grade of "C " or better, a total of 68.5-70.0 units, which includes 34.0 units of Speech- Language Pathology Assistant “SLPA-designated” major requirements, 34.5-36.0 units of “Other” major requirements, and General Education courses. 

The "SLPA-designated" major required courses, with semester include:

Fall Year 1 

·         SLPA 1A, SLPA 2A, SLPA 3A and SLPA 4A 

Spring Year 1 

·         SLPA 5A and SLPA 6A 

Fall Year 2 

·         SLPA 7A, SLPA 8A and SLPA 9A 

Spring Year 2 

·         SLPA 10A and SLPA 11A

The “Other” major required courses include: 

 A/AS MATH :Meet AA/AS Math Competency Requirement  

 Student Choice (area D-1History): Student Choice  

 ANTH 6 (area D-2): Language and Culture: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology  

 SIGN 101 (area C-2) : American Sign Language  

 AA/S Physical Well-Being Requirement DNCE, KINA, KINF, KINI, KINL, KINS, KINX  

 Student Choice (area C-1 Arts): Student Choice   

 
Student Learning Outcomes 
 
Students will be assessed on their ability to: 
 
1. Recognize and explain the Laws and Regulations pertaining to and exhibiting compliance with federal, state, and local regulations including: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

2. Demonstrate skills to provide direct treatment assistance to diverse clients/patients in multiple settings, under the supervision of a Speech-Language Pathologist, by implementing treatment plans, conducting screenings without interpretation, assisting with assessment (e.g., setting up the testing environment, gathering and prepping materials, taking notes as advised by the SLP) and documenting client/patient progress. 

3. Demonstrate appropriate workplace behaviors as a paraprofessional team member, under the supervision of a Speech-Language Pathologist, by responding appropriately to supervisory feedback, assisting with clerical and operational tasks, and supporting the prevention and advocacy efforts of the agency.

The enrollment completer projections annually is 25 students.

Program Goals:

The goal for the Mt. San Antonio College Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) program is to prepare students for a career helping people who have articulation, language, voice, fluency and other communicative disorders. 

This program is designed to prepare speech-language pathology assistants to aid speech-language pathologists in the speech and language development of ​​​​children and adults with communication disorders. They are trained to conduct screenings for speech-language and hearing disorders (without interpretation), administer treatment assistance as prescribed by the speech-language pathologist, and provide support assistance to the speech-language pathologist. They work with infants, children, young adults and older adults in educational, clinical and medical settings (e.g. schools, day care centers, hospitals, nursing homes and clinics).

 

Program Objectives:

1.  To train students for employment as Speech-Language Pathology Assistants through meeting the state of California registration requirements for Speech- Language Pathology Assistants. 

 

2.  To provide the educational requirements necessary to pass the State of California registration and licensing requirements for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants.

 

3.  To equip students with the knowledge, fieldwork experience and core technical skills within the field of Speech-Language Pathology Assistant.

 

4.  To promote professional standards of the individual to meet the requirements of the   State of California, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Code of Ethics and the community.

 

5.  To provide a career ladder for students to transfer to the four-year university level.

To be eligible to earn the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Associate of Science degree, a student must successfully complete, with a grade of "C" or better, a total of 68.5-70.0 units, which includes 34.0 units of Speech Language Pathology Assistant “SLPA-designated” major requirements, 34.5-36.0 units of “Other” major requirements, and General Education courses.  

The Associate of Science program offers an intensive course of study in the area of speech and language disorders. This includes supervised treatment and the fieldwork experience in a variety of settings. 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
SLPA 1A	Intro. to phonetics	3.0	S1
SLPA 2A	Intro. to communicative disorders	3.0	S1
SLPA 3A	Speech, language & hearing development	3.0	S1
SLPA 4A	SLPA Professional issues	3.0	S1
SLPA 5A	Child disorders & treatment	5.0	S2
SLPA 6A	Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders	3.0	S2
SLPA 7A	Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders and Applied Behavioral Analysis	3.0	S3
SLPA 8A	Screening & Therapeutic Processes	4.0	S3
SLPA 9A	Clinical Experience 1	2.0	S3
SLPA 10A	Clinical Experience 2	2.0	S4
SLPA 11A	Fundamentals of Augmentative & Alternative Communication	3.0	S4

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