{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1603","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-1603","heading":"Definitions","body":"A. As used in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology\n\nLicensing Act:\n\n1. \"Board\" means the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language\n\nPathology and Audiology;\n\n2. \"Person\" means any individual, partnership, organization or\n\ncorporation, except that only individuals may be licensed under the\n\nSpeech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act;\n\n3. \"Licensed speech-language pathologist\", \"licensed speech-\n\nlanguage pathology fellow\", \"licensed speech-language pathology\n\nassistant\" or \"licensed audiologist\" means an individual to whom a\n\nlicense has been issued pursuant to the provisions of the Speech-\n\nLanguage Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act, which license has\n\nnot expired or has not been suspended or revoked;\n\n4. \"Speech-language pathologist\" (SLP) means any person who\n\nrepresents himself or herself to be a speech-language pathologist\n\nand who meets the qualifications set forth in Section 1605 of this\n\ntitle and provides or offers to provide services defined as the\n\npractice of speech-language pathology;\n\n5. \"Speech-language pathology assistant\" (SLPA) means any\n\nperson who, after acquiring academic coursework, fieldwork, and on-\n\nthe-job training as set forth by rules promulgated by the Board,\n\nperforms tasks prescribed, directed, and supervised by licensed\n\nspeech-language pathologists. The speech-language pathology\n\nassistant may implement prescribed therapies in children and adults\n\nin specific treatment areas in which he or she has academic and\n\nclinical training as prescribed by the Board of Examiners for\n\nSpeech-Language Pathology and Audiology and under the license of a\n\nspeech-language pathologist;\n\n6. \"Clinical fellow\" means an individual who is currently in\n\nthe process of completing the supervised postgraduate professional\n\npaid experience in speech-language pathology as set forth in\n\nparagraph 3 of subsection A of Section 1605 of this title;\n\n7. \"Speech, voice, swallowing or language disorders\" include,\n\nbut are not limited to, any and all conditions that impede the\n\nnormal process of human vocal communication;\n\n8. \"Feeding or swallowing disorders\", also called dysphagia,\n\ninclude difficulty with any step of the feeding or swallowing\n\nprocess. This may include losing food or liquids from the mouth,\n\ndifficulty chewing or sucking, difficulty protecting the airway, or\n\nimpaired sensation in the mouth or throat. These impairments may\n\nresult in a decreased liquid or food intake, choking on food or\n\nliquid during eating or drinking, failure to thrive, pneumonia,\n\ndehydration, malnutrition, or death. Assessment may include a\n\nclinical evaluation of swallowing function or an instrumental\n\nevaluation of swallowing function to determine the nature and\n\nseverity of the swallowing impairment, determine the safest and most\n\nefficient food and liquid to be swallowed, and establish a treatment\n\nplan to improve swallowing function. Treatment may include exercise\n\nregimes to rehabilitate muscles or neurological function involved in\n\nswallowing, training compensatory strategies or training techniques\n\nto improve swallowing safety and function. Treatment may also\n\ninclude the provision of education to individuals, parents, care\n\nproviders, and others related to feeding/swallowing function;\n\n9. \"Practice of speech-language pathology\" means the rendering\n\nor offering to render to any person or the public any speech, voice,\n\nsocial communication, cognitive communication, feeding or swallowing\n\nor language evaluation, examination, counseling or habitation and\n\nrehabilitation of or for persons who have or are suspected of having\n\na speech, voice, feeding or swallowing or language disorder, or\n\nrepresenting oneself to be a speech-language pathologist or speech-\n\nlanguage pathology assistant who meets the qualifications set forth\nommunication, cognitive communication, feeding or swallowing\n\nor language evaluation, examination, counseling or habitation and\n\nrehabilitation of or for persons who have or are suspected of having\n\na speech, voice, feeding or swallowing or language disorder, or\n\nrepresenting oneself to be a speech-language pathologist or speech-\n\nlanguage pathology assistant who meets the qualifications set forth\n\nin Section 1605 of this title. Services may also be provided for\n\npersons who want to learn how to communicate more effectively\n\nincluding, but not limited to, accent modification and other forms\n\nof communication enhancement. A speech-language pathologist is\n\npermitted to perform such basic audiometric tests and hearing\n\ntherapy procedures as are consistent with such training. A speech-\n\nlanguage pathology assistant will only perform duties as defined in\n\nparagraph 3 of subsection A of Section 1605 of this title and under\n\nthe supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist;\n\n10. \"Audiologist\" means any person who represents himself or\n\nherself to be an audiologist and who meets the qualifications set\n\nforth in Section 1605 of this title and provides or offers to\n\nprovide services defined as the practice of audiology;\n\n11. \"Hearing disorders\" include, but are not limited to, any or\n\nall conditions of decreased or impaired auditory function;\n\n12. \"Vestibular or balance disorders\" include, but are not\n\nlimited to, any or all conditions of the decreased or impaired\n\nvestibular function;\n\n13. \"Practice of audiology\" means the rendering, or offering to\n\nrender, to any person or the public, the prevention, identification,\n\nassessment, or rehabilitation of or for persons who have or are\n\nsuspected of having a hearing or balance disorder, or representing\n\noneself to be an audiologist. An audiologist may perform vestibular\n\nassessments for those individuals of any age suspected of having a\n\nbalance disorder and then provide appropriate rehabilitation once\n\ndiagnosed by a physician. An audiologist may also select, fit and\n\ndispense hearing aids and hearing-assistive technology. The\n\naudiologist may perform assessments to assist in determining\n\ncandidacy for special hearing technology such as cochlear implants\n\nor bone conduction systems, and provide follow-up services. An\n\naudiologist may provide consultation regarding noise control and\n\nparticipate in noise-conservation programs which may include fitting\n\nof hearing-protection devices. Audiologists may participate in\n\nresearch related to all of these. An audiologist must meet the\n\nqualifications set forth in paragraph 3 of subsection A of Section\n\n1605 of this title;\n\n14. \"Hearing screening\" means one or more procedures used to\n\nidentify individuals who may have a hearing loss. Measurements of\n\nauditory thresholds are not included in hearing screening programs;\n\n15. \"Telepractice\" means the practice of health care delivery,\n\ndiagnosis, consultation, evaluation and treatment, transfer of\n\nmedical data or exchange of medical education, information by means\n\nof a two-way, real-time interactive communication, not to exclude\n\nstore-and-forward technologies, between a patient and a speech-\n\nlanguage pathologist or audiologist with access to and reviewing the\n\npatient's relevant clinical information prior to the teletherapy\n\nvisit; and\n\n16. \"Store-and-forward technologies\" means the transmission of\n\na patient's medical information from an originating site to the\n\nspeech-language pathologist or audiologist at the distant site;\n\nprovided, photographs visualized by a telecommunications system\n\nshall be specific to the patient's medical condition and adequate\n\nfor furnishing or confirming a diagnosis or treatment plan.\n\n\"Telepractice\" and \"store-and-forward technologies\" shall not\n\ninclude consultations provided by telephone, audio-only\n\ncommunication, electronic mail, text message, instant messaging\nt at the distant site;\n\nprovided, photographs visualized by a telecommunications system\n\nshall be specific to the patient's medical condition and adequate\n\nfor furnishing or confirming a diagnosis or treatment plan.\n\n\"Telepractice\" and \"store-and-forward technologies\" shall not\n\ninclude consultations provided by telephone, audio-only\n\ncommunication, electronic mail, text message, instant messaging\n\nconversation, website questionnaire, nonsecure video conference or\n\nfacsimile machine.\n\nB. A person represents himself or herself to be a speech-\n\nlanguage pathologist when such person holds himself or herself out\n\nto the public by any title or description of services incorporating\n\nthe words \"speech-language pathology\", \"speech-language\n\npathologist\", \"speech pathology\", \"speech pathologist\", \"speech\n\ntherapy\", \"speech therapist\", \"speech correction\", \"speech\n\ncorrectionist\", \"language therapy\", \"language therapist\", \"voice\n\npathology\", \"voice pathologist\", \"voice therapy\", \"voice therapist\",\n\n\"logopedics\", \"logopedist\", \"communicology\", \"communicologist\",\n\n\"aphasiologist\", \"phoniatrist\", \"speech clinician\", \"speech clinic\",\n\n\"speech center\" or any similar or related term or terms.\n\nC. A person represents himself or herself to be a speech-\n\nlanguage pathology assistant when such person holds himself or\n\nherself out to the public by any title or description of services as\n\nlisted for speech-language pathologist and is working under the\n\nlicense of a speech-language pathologist. Anyone not holding\n\ncredentials for independent practice shall hold the designation of\n\nassistant and be required to work under supervision.\n\nD. A person represents himself or herself to be an audiologist\n\nwhen such person holds himself or herself out to the public by any\n\ntitle or description of services incorporating the terms\n\n\"audiology\", \"audiologist\", \"audiometry\", \"audiometrist\", \"hearing\n\ntherapy\", \"hearing therapist\", \"hearing conservation\", \"hearing\n\nconservationist\", \"hearing clinician\", \"hearing clinic\", \"hearing\n\ncenter\", \"audiological\", \"audiometrics\", or any similar or related\n\nterm or terms.\n\nE. The provision of speech-language pathology or audiology\n\nservices in this state through telepractice, electronic or other\n\nmeans, regardless of the location of the speech-language pathologist\n\nshall constitute the practice of speech-language pathology or\n\naudiology and shall require licensure in this state.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"b0b929e7d2f3354e503dab223875f2bbe3bc5ef8092a0c90b0f501b8c6c09ffe","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1602","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1604"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}