North Carolina Board of Examiners for SLPA

90 292. Declaration of policy. It is declared to be a policy of the State of North Carolina that, in order to safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare; to protect the public from being misled by incompetent, unscrupulous, and unauthorized persons and from unprofessional conduct on the part of qualified speech and language pathologists and audiologists and to help assure the availability of the highest possible quality speech and language pathology and audiology services to the communicatively handicapped people of this State, it is necessary to provide regulatory authority over persons offering speech and language pathology and audiology services to the public.

Hearing Assessment, Selection, Fitting, Verification and Validation for Children Under the Age of Eighteen

It is the position of the N.C. Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists that hearing evaluations and hearing aid selection, fitting, verification and validation for children under the age of eighteen requires special qualifications (expertise, skills, training, test equipment and experience) that may not be possessed by all audiologists.

Advances in hearing aid and cochlear implant technology, as well as our understanding of the characteristics of the pediatric ear canal, dictate the need for special qualifications, understanding, and equipment when fitting children with hearing aids who are under eighteen years of age. Children should be stratified by age group, degree of hearing impairment, and lingual status (pre-lingual, peri-lingual, and post-lingual).

Furthermore, the Board recognizes that different skills are necessary when evaluating and fitting very young, pre-lingual and peri-lingual children as compared to post-lingual toddlers, elementary-age children, or adolescents. Frequently, many very young children require two specially trained professionals, rather than one, to effectively evaluate, fit, verify, and validate fittings hearing aid fittings.

Pre-lingual and peri-lingual, profoundly deaf children under the age of five years should be evaluated and treated by audiologists who have special training and expertise working with such children.

Therefore, it is the policy of the Board that all audiologists should evaluate, dispense and fit hearing aids for children under the age of eighteen only if they are able to demonstrate that they possess:

1. the necessary pediatric qualifications and credentials,
2. age appropriate test equipment, and
3. experience required to diagnose and treat these patients.

Such qualifications should be maintained and documented through the established continuing education process.

Authority – G.S. 90-304(a)(3); 21 NCAC 64 .0215; 21 NCAC 64 .0217; 21 NCAC 64 .0302(a)(1)

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The Board is now accepting Online Fee Payments via Pay Pal. Please be aware that any required paperwork that corresponds with the payment received must be on file in the Board Office before applications, licenses, verifications or registrations will be processed and issued.

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21 NCAC 64 .0220 STANDARDS FOR AUDIOLOGISTS WHO DISPENSE HEARING AIDS
A licensed Audiologist who fits and dispenses hearing aids must:
(1) Comply with 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart H 801.420 and 801.421, in effect as of March 9, 2012 that are hereby incorporated by reference and do not include subsequent amendments. The incorporated material may be obtained on the Board's website free of charge; and
(2) Disclose all fees to be charged to a patient in conjunction with the evaluation period and purchase of any hearing aid, in writing, prior to the purchase of the hearing aid by the patient. History Note: Authority G.S. 90-304(a)(3);
Eff. January 1, 2013.

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The Board Office relocated in January, 2013. If you wish to send correspondance to the Board via carriers other than the U.S. Post Office (ex: Fed Ex, UPS), please contact the Board Office for our street address.

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Announcement for All Licensees: CEUs At the November 4, 2011 meeting of the Board of Examiners, it approved for the Board to underwrite the fee that ASHA charges NCSHLA that enables them to offer ASHA CEUs. The Board will also begin sponsoring a speaker at NCSHLA Conferences. This speaker will address Ethics every other year.
http://www.asha.org/ce/
http://www.audiology.org/development/continuingeducation

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NOTICE TO ALL LICENSEES: Technical problems will not constitute a defense for failure to maintain adequate records.


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Board Mission Statement: 90 292. Declaration of policy. It is declared to be a policy of the State of North Carolina that, in order to safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare; to protect the public from being misled by incompetent, unscrupulous, and unauthorized persons and from unprofessional conduct on the part of qualified speech and language pathologists and audiologists and to help assure the availability of the highest possible quality speech and language pathology and audiology services to the communicatively handicapped people of this State, it is necessary to provide regulatory authority over persons offering speech and language pathology and audiology services to the public. NEWS Hearing Assessment, Selection, Fitting, Verification and Validation for Children Under the Age of Eighteen It is the position of the N.C. Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists that hearing evaluations and hearing aid selection, fitting, verification and validation for children under the age of eighteen requires special qualifications (expertise, skills, training, test equipment and experience) that may not be possessed by all audiologists. Advances in hearing aid and cochlear implant technology, as well as our understanding of the characteristics of the pediatric ear canal, dictate the need for special qualifications, understanding, and equipment when fitting children with hearing aids who are under eighteen years of age. Children should be stratified by age group, degree of hearing impairment, and lingual status (pre-lingual, peri-lingual, and post-lingual). Furthermore, the Board recognizes that different skills are necessary when evaluating and fitting very young, pre-lingual and peri-lingual children as compared to post-lingual toddlers, elementary-age children, or adolescents. Frequently, many very young children require two specially trained professionals, rather than one, to effectively evaluate, fit, verify, and validate fittings hearing aid fittings. Pre-lingual and peri-lingual, profoundly deaf children under the age of five years should be evaluated and treated by audiologists who have special training and expertise working with such children. Therefore, it is the policy of the Board that all audiologists should evaluate, dispense and fit hearing aids for children under the age of eighteen only if they are able to demonstrate that they possess: 1. the necessary pediatric qualifications and credentials, 2. age appropriate test equipment, and 3. experience required to diagnose and treat these patients. Such qualifications should be maintained and documented through the established continuing education process. Authority – G.S. 90-304(a)(3); 21 NCAC 64 .0215; 21 NCAC 64 .0217; 21 NCAC 64 .0302(a)(1) *************************** The Board is now accepting Online Fee Payments via Pay Pal. Please be aware that any required paperwork that corresponds with the payment received must be on file in the Board Office before applications, licenses, verifications or registrations will be processed and issued. ************************* 21 NCAC 64 .0220 STANDARDS FOR AUDIOLOGISTS WHO DISPENSE HEARING AIDS A licensed Audiologist who fits and dispenses hearing aids must: (1) Comply with 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart H 801.420 and 801.421, in effect as of March 9, 2012 that are hereby incorporated by reference and do not include subsequent amendments. The incorporated material may be obtained on the Board's website free of charge; and (2) Disclose all fees to be charged to a patient in conjunction with the evaluation period and purchase of any hearing aid, in writing, prior to the purchase of the hearing aid by the patient. History Note: Authority G.S. 90-304(a)(3); Eff. January 1, 2013. ************************* The Board Office relocated in January, 2013. If you wish to send correspondance to the Board via carriers other than the U.S. Post Office (ex: Fed Ex, UPS), please contact the Board Office for our street address. ************************* Announcement for All Licensees: CEUs At the November 4, 2011 meeting of the Board of Examiners, it approved for the Board to underwrite the fee that ASHA charges NCSHLA that enables them to offer ASHA CEUs. The Board will also begin sponsoring a speaker at NCSHLA Conferences. This speaker will address Ethics every other year. http://www.asha.org/ce/ http://www.audiology.org/development/continuingeducation ************************* NOTICE TO ALL LICENSEES:** Technical problems will not constitute a defense for failure to maintain adequate records.
PO Box 16885 Greensboro, NC 27416-0885				Telephone (336) 272-1828 Fax (336) 272-4353
scapps@ncboeslpa.org dsherwood@ncboeslpa.org