Speech Pathologists provide diagnostic assessment and management of disorders of communication and swallowing through direct intervention, education, consultancy, advocacy, or a combination of these approaches.

Skill Level

1

Alternative Titles

• Speech Therapist

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Speech Pathologist is Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). To have a positive skills assessment you must meet the following criteria:

• There are two pathways for skills assessments:

1. Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) Application
   • Applicant must hold certification from or have membership to one of the signatory MRA Associations
   • Applicant must have completed professional education to become a speech pathologist in a country that is a signatory to one of the following MRA Agreements:

1. Overseas Qualification Competency Assessment Application
   • If the applicant fails to meet the requirements for the MRA Application, they can apply for this stream. The applicant must be able to demonstrate competence as a speech pathologist
     • Qualification comparable to trained speech pathologists in Australia;
     • Ability to use English effectively in the Australian speech pathology context; and
     • Practised as a speech pathologist for at least 1000 hours in the last five years
     • Provide a portfolio of evidence demonstrating your skills and knowledge are equivalent to the competency standards determined by the Competency Based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathologists (CBOS)
   • Applicant must have a qualification at the level of an Australian bachelor’s degree or higher (AQF Level 7) or a comparable qualification
     • It must be specific to speech pathology
     • Include supervised clinical practice
   • English Language Requirement
     • Applicants are required to demonstrate ‘competent’ English
     • Applicants who hold a valid passport from the countries below automatically satisfy the English language requirement:
       • United Kingdom
       • Canada
       • New Zealand
       • United States of America
       • Republic of Ireland
     • CBOS Competency Standards
       • Applicants must be able to demonstrate competence in the CBOS units that cover the following areas:
         • Language
         • Speech
         • Swallowing
         • Voice
         • Fluency
         • Multi-modal Communication

AUDIOLOGISTS AND SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS/THERAPISTS provide diagnostic assessment, treatment, rehabilitative services and management of human hearing defects, and communication and swallowing impairments.

Tasks

Tasks Include:

• Administering and interpreting a wide range of audiometric tests to determine hearing efficiency and locate sites of detected hearing problems
• Interpreting audiometric test results alongside other medical, social and behavioural diagnostic data
• Evaluating total response pattern and acoustic tests to distinguish between organic and non-organic hearing loss
• Planning, directing and participating in counselling, speech reading and other rehabilitation programs
• Prescribing appropriate hearing aids and instructing patients in use
• Administering tests and observing patients to determine nature and extent of disorders
• Planning and conducting programs of remedial exercise to correct disorders such as stuttering and abnormal articulation
• Administering individual and group therapy for rehabilitation of patients with communication problems caused by defective hearing, cerebral palsy, surgery and injury
• Advising on treatment for children with difficulties in learning to speak
• Counselling and guiding language-handicapped individuals, their families, teachers and employers

Skill Level

Occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Occupations in this Group

• 252711 Audiologist
• 252712 Speech Pathologist (Aus) / Speech Language Therapist (NZ)