I have a question. Why is it The Advance for PT's for PT's and PTA's and the Advance for OT's  for OT practitioners but the Advance for SLP's doesn't acknowledge SLP-A's. I don't understand this. I am an SLP but I started out as an SLP-A. I work with SLP-A's who are wonderful and if it wasn't for them many of my students wouldn't be served consistently. I think we as a profession need to embrace our SLP-A's. They can't take our jobs why are so many SLP's threatened by them. We act like SLP-A's don't even exist and that's not right. They are here to enhance our services and we need to better appreicate them instead of turning our noses up at them. I know all SLP-A's may not be great but I have worked with some not so great SLP's as well. That's just my soap box.

Hi Crystal

Thanks for your post. In September 2005, Associate Editor Jason Mosheim did a cover story on the role of SLP-As and their contributions to the profession. We received very positive feedback in response to the story.

You can access it online at http://speech-language-pathology-audiology.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Search/AViewer.aspx?AN=SP_05sep5_spp6.html&AD=09-05-2005

Thanks for your interest in ADVANCE.

Alyssa Banotai
Web Editor
www.advanceweb.com/speech

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Alyssa Banotai
Associate Editor/Web Editor
ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists

I'm hoping that one reason the change hasn't happened yet is because of the newness of SLPAs as a profession. Jason's 2005 article about SLPAs was informative; the need/demand for SLPAs continues to grow as more certified SLPAs enter the workforce and much has changed in the last two and a half years since the article was published.  I believe that as certified SLPAs work w/SLPs, their acceptance as a valuable assistant to the SLP has grown.  Job opportunities continue to increase; some of those jobs are advertised in ADVANCE.  As the director of a SLPA program, I encourage my students to subscribe to ADVANCE.  I think they would be more apt to do so w/the change in headings to include their professional title as well as SLPs, so I too would like to see ADVANCE for SLPs/SLPAs in the magazine format and the products sold by ADVANCE include personalization options for SLPAs as well as SLPs.  

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Donna Swanson-Perrelet