SLPA Work Settings 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which work setting requires an SLPA to follow the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when providing services?
- Acute care hospital
- Skilled nursing facility
- Public school district (Correct answer)
- Private outpatient clinic
Correct answer: Public school district
Public school districts are governed by IDEA, which mandates free appropriate public education and related services including speech-language pathology.
Question 2: An SLPA working in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is most likely to assist with:
- Articulation drills
- Feeding and swallowing support for premature infants (Correct answer)
- Fluency modification techniques
- Augmentative communication device programming
Correct answer: Feeding and swallowing support for premature infants
NICU SLPAs primarily assist with feeding and swallowing interventions for premature or medically fragile newborns.
Question 3: In a residential facility for adults with intellectual disabilities, an SLPA's role most commonly includes:
- Diagnosing new communication disorders
- Implementing functional communication programs developed by the SLP (Correct answer)
- Conducting standardized assessments independently
- Determining discharge criteria
Correct answer: Implementing functional communication programs developed by the SLP
SLPAs in residential facilities implement SLP-designed functional communication programs to support daily living skills.
Question 4: Which documentation system is most commonly used in hospital-based acute care settings where an SLPA might work?
- IEP progress notes
- SOAP notes in the electronic health record (Correct answer)
- Individualized Family Service Plan updates
- Quarterly school progress reports
Correct answer: SOAP notes in the electronic health record
Hospital-based settings use SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) notes within electronic health records for clinical documentation.
Question 5: An SLPA employed by a home health agency must ensure that:
- They can independently modify the treatment plan if the client's condition changes
- The supervising SLP has approved the session plan before each home visit (Correct answer)
- They diagnose new disorders during the home visit
- They bill insurance independently for services rendered
Correct answer: The supervising SLP has approved the session plan before each home visit
Home health SLPAs must have session plans approved by the supervising SLP and cannot independently modify treatment.
Question 6: In an early intervention (Part C) setting, services are typically delivered:
- In self-contained special education classrooms
- In the child's natural environments such as home or daycare (Correct answer)
- In hospital outpatient clinics only
- In residential group homes
Correct answer: In the child's natural environments such as home or daycare
Part C of IDEA requires early intervention services to be provided in natural environments, including the home and community settings.
Question 7: Which setting would an SLPA most likely encounter patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the acute recovery phase?
- Elementary school
- Long-term care facility
- Inpatient rehabilitation hospital (Correct answer)
- Private practice outpatient clinic
Correct answer: Inpatient rehabilitation hospital
Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals serve patients in the acute recovery phase after TBI, providing intensive multidisciplinary therapy.
