Technical Standards and English Proficiency

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) has identified several technical standards in the 2007 Technical Standards document. The faculty of the doctoral program at Lamar University considers these standards to be of paramount importance to successful study in a clinical doctorate program and for entry level into independent practice in the field of audiology.

Minimum technical standards for students wishing to pursue speech and hearing graduate study at Lamar University include:

• Critical thinking: All students must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical, and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty. The ability to solve problems, a skill that is critical to the practice of Audiology, requires the intellectual abilities of measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Successful graduates of the program must be able to integrate knowledge into practical skills.
• Communication skills: A candidate should also be able to speak, to hear, and to observe patients in order to elicit information. The candidate must have a strong command of the English language, evidenced in writing and oral communication.*
• Auditory-visual ability: Candidates must also be able to observe a patient accurately by vision and hearing, both at a distance and close at hand without visual cues. This ability requires the functional use of audition and vision.
• Mobility and fine motor skills: A candidate should be able to execute movements reasonably required to move from area to area, maneuver in small places, calibrate and use small equipment, and provide patients with general care.
• Interpersonal abilities: A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities required for the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.

In addition to ASHA standards above, we also follow the guidelines of our University. Given the scope of practice in communication disorders, oral English proficiency is considered an essential tool. Lamar University's graduate catalog states that "International students whose first language is not English are required to pass an English proficiency test before they may be admitted to candidacy for a graduate degree." Information about the  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) can be found at International Graduate Admissions.

Additionally, if a student whose native language is not English is accepted into Lamar University's speech and hearing sciences graduate programs, and if there is evidence that this student is having exceptional difficulty with one or more of the tasks required in clinical service delivery (speech perception, speech/language modeling, comprehending speech or language produced by individuals with communication disorders, writing clinical reports, counseling families, etc.) the student will be asked to address these deficits through a remediation plan (therapy for accent reduction, perceptual training, etc.) as needed.

Questions? Contact slp@lamar.edu.