Information for Consumers of
     Speech-Language Hearing Services

Consumers should inquire about the background and fees of any professional offering speech-language-hearing services. Minimal standards for such professionals are the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), supervised clinical practicum, and receipt of a passing score on a national examination. 

Speech-language hearing clinicians working in the state of Colorado who are members of CSHA are listed in the  CSHA  "Find A Clinician" Directory. Many competent, duly certified clinicians in Colorado have chosen not to be members of CSHA. CSHA members are sworn to follow the CSHA Ethics Code (read it HERE), in addition to the ethics code of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Questions for Speech-Language and Audiology Clinicians

1. What age groups do you work with?

2. Do you work primarily with a particular speech, language, or hearing disorder?

3. How soon can I be seen for an evaluation?

4. Once I am evaluated is there a waiting list for treatment? If so, how long is it?

5. If you cannot work with me, who would you suggest I contact?

6. Do I need to be referred to your clinic by a particular source such as a community agency?

7. Once I have been evaluated will you be able to anticipate the amount of time needed to correct my problem?

8. Do you dispense/sell hearing aids, augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) devices, or fluency aids?  If not, will you help me get one from another source?

9. Do you provide auditory training, lip/speech reading and/or hearing aid orientation for the new hearing aid user?  Do you provide training in the use of ACC devices or fluency aids?

10. If needed, will you be able to recommend an assistive listening device that will best suit my needs?

11. Do you provide day classes for children with language disorders?

12. How much do you charge for diagnostic evaluations and treatment services?

13. What sources of third party payment may be available to me? (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers, UMW, CHAMPUS, Vocational Rehabilitation)

14. Are all of your speech-language pathologists or audiologists certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association?

Information on Speech-Language Hearing Disorders

When searching for a clinician or after receiving a diagnosis, parents and patients may wish to obtain information from a variety of sources. Information on many speech-language and hearing conditions is not available from books intended for lay readers. Thus, information from the Internet Web sites, national non-profit organizations, and government sources may be the best alternative. CSHA has compiled a list of some of these information sources on our Web Links directory.

Charges for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Services

May include:

1. Scheduled training sessions (therapy, consultations, visits)
2. Materials used in program
3. Time spent in scoring tests, evaluation results, and planning individualized programs
4. Periodic reports to doctors, teachers, family, Medicare, Medicaid, insurance companies
5. Maintenance of charts and records
6. Communication with and referral to other agencies
7. Counseling/Communication with family and other professionals working with client/patient

Contact each facility directly regarding their treatment charges and billing procedures. If you are seeking services for a child, you are reminded that services are available in the public schools. Furthermore, every school district in Colorado is responsible for identifying and evaluating any person, from birth through 21, with an handicapping condition (mild to severe). This program is sometimes referred to as "child-find" or "child-check." Call your local school district for further information.