§30-32-2 Definitions.
§30-32-2. Definitions.
For the purpose of this article, the terms defined shall not include persons employed or contracted by the West Virginia Board of Education, a county board of education, or a Regional Education Service Agency:
(a) "Audiologist" means any person who engages in the practice of audiology and who meets the qualifications set forth in this article. A person represents himself or herself to be an audiologist when he or she holds out to the public by any means, or by any service or function he or she performs, directly or indirectly, or by using the terms "audiology," "audiologist," "audiometry," "audiometrist," "audiological," "audiometrics," "hearing therapy," "hearing therapist," "hearing clinic," "hearing clinician," "hearing center," "hearing aid audiologist," or any variation, synonym, coinage or whatever expresses, employs, or implies these terms, names or functions.
(b) "Audiology" means the application of principles, methods, and procedures related to hearing and the disorders of hearing and to related language and speech disorders. Disorders means and includes any and all conditions, whether of organic or nonorganic origin, peripheral or central, that impede the normal process of human communication including, but not limited to, disorders of auditory sensitivity, acuity, function or processing.
(c) "Audiology assistant," or any variation, synonym, or coinage of the term, means an individual who meets minimum qualifications established by the board, which are less than those established by this article as necessary for licensing as an audiologist; who does not act independently; and who works under the direction and supervision of an audiologist licensed under this article.
(d) "Board" means the West Virginia board of examiners for speech-language pathology and audiology.
(e) "Instruction" means: (1) Providing speech-language pathology or audiology services or teaching in infant/toddler, preschool, elementary or secondary school programs except for services provided by those persons employed or contracted by the West Virginia board of education, a county board of education or a regional education service agency; or (2) teaching students in institutions of higher education.
(f) "Person" means and includes any individual, partnership, trust, association, corporation or other like organization, or any combination thereof, except that only individuals can be licensed under this article.
(g) "Practice of audiology" means: (1) Facilitating the conservation of auditory system function, developing and implementing environmental and occupational hearing conservation programs; (2) screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, preventing and rehabilitating peripheral and central auditory system dysfunctions; (3) providing and interpreting behavioral and (electro) physiological measurements of auditory functions; (4) providing vestibular assessment and balance system rehabilitation; (5) providing neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring; (6) selecting, fitting and dispensing of amplification, assistive listening and alerting devices and providing training in their use; (7) evaluating candidacy, fitting and providing training in the use of implantable devices; and (8) providing aural rehabilitation and related counseling services to hearing impaired individuals and their families. In accordance with rules promulgated by the board, the practice of audiology may include screening of speech-language and other factors affecting communication function for the purposes of an audiologic evaluation and/or initial identification of individuals with other communication disorders.
(h) "Practice of speech-language pathology" means: (1) screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, diagnosing, preventing, and rehabilitating disorders of speech (e.g., articulation, fluency, and language); (2) screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, evaluating and rehabilitating disorders of oral-pharyngeal function (e.g., dysphagia) voice and related disorders; (3) screening, identifying, assessing andinterpreting, diagnosing and rehabilitating cognitive/communication disorders; (4) assessing, selecting and developing augmentative and alternative communication systems and providing training in their use; (5) providing aural rehabilitation and related counseling services to hearing impaired individuals and their families; and (6) enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness (e.g., accent reduction). In accordance with rules promulgated by the board, the practice of speech-language pathology may include screening of hearing and other factors affecting communication function for the purposes of a speech-language evaluation and/or initial identification of individuals with other communication disorders.
(i) "Research" means a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge about human communication, human communication disorders, and/or evaluation or treatment strategies. Activities meeting this definition constitute research: Provided, That as used above and for the purposes of this article, research does not include activities that take place under the auspices of a recognized institutional review board which reviews, approves, and monitors proposals and activities involving human subjects to ensure that the rights and welfare of such subjects are protected.
(j) "Speech-language pathologist" means any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology and who meets the qualifications set forth in this article. A person represents himself or herself to be a speech-language pathologist when he or she holds out to the public by any means, or by any service or function he or she performs, directly or indirectly, or by using the terms "speech therapy," "speech therapist," "speech correction," "speech correctionist," "speech clinic," "speech clinician," "language pathology," "language pathologist," "voice therapy," "voice therapist," "voice pathology," "voice pathologist," "logopedics," "logopedist," "communicology," "communicologist," "aphasiology," "aphasiologist," "phoniatrist," or any variation, synonym, coinage or whatever expresses, employs, or implies these terms, names or functions.
(k) "Speech-language pathology" means the application of principles, methods, and procedures related to the development and disorders of human communication. Disorders are defined to include any and all conditions, whether of organic or nonorganic origin, that impede the normal process of human communication including, but not limited to, disorders and related disorders of speech, articulation, fluency, voice, verbal and written language, auditory comprehension, cognition/communication, and oral, pharyngeal and/or laryngeal sensorimotor competencies.
(l) "Speech-language pathology assistant," or any variation, synonym, or coinage of the term means an individual who meets minimum qualifications established by the board, which are less than those established by this article as necessary for licensing as a speech-language pathologist; who does not act independently; and who works under the direction and supervision of a speech-language pathologist licensed under this article.