SLPA NC Board Exam — Q&A Study
Guide (2025/2026)
1. Q: What is the primary role of an SLPA under state licensure and ASHA guidelines?
A: To provide delegated speech-language services under the direct supervision of a
licensed SLP, following the SLP’s plan of care, documenting services, and reporting
progress and changes.
Rationale: SLPAs are not independent practitioners. Their scope is delegation-based;
they implement, not develop, assessment or treatment plans.
2. Q: Define norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests and give one example use for
each.
A: Norm-referenced tests compare a client’s performance to a normative sample (e.g.,
standardized articulation test); criterion-referenced tests measure performance against a
set standard or specific skills (e.g., curriculum-based language probe).
Rationale: Distinguishing test types guides interpretation: norm-referenced yields
percentile/standard scores; criterion-referenced tracks mastery.
3. Q: What is a basal and a ceiling in standardized testing?
A: Basal = the level at which items are all passed and below which testing is assumed
mastered; Ceiling = the level at which consecutive items are failed and testing stops.
Rationale: Basal/ceiling rules ensure efficient, valid administration without unnecessary
items.
4. Q: Name three common articulation errors and one typical phonological process in
young children.
A: Errors: omission, substitution, distortion. Process: final consonant deletion.
Rationale: Understanding error types/processes is essential for differential diagnosis
and treatment planning.
5. Q: What is the difference between speech sound disorder (SSD) and apraxia of speech?
A: SSD is difficulty producing sounds (phonetic or phonemic); apraxia is a motor
planning/programming disorder causing inconsistent errors and groping.
Rationale: Features like inconsistency, prosodic abnormalities, and groping point to
apraxia rather than a developmental SSD.
, 6. Q: List two signs of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS).
A: Inconsistent errors on repeated productions and disrupted prosody (e.g., abnormal
stress).
Rationale: CAS affects motor planning; inconsistent productions despite cues are
hallmark signs.
7. Q: What are the three main parts of a SOAP note? Briefly state what goes in each.
A: Subjective (caregiver/client comments), Objective (data: activities, cues,
performance), Assessment (analysis of progress/response), Plan (next steps,
recommendations).
Rationale: SOAP structure organizes clinical documentation for clarity and continuity.
8. Q: Define cueing hierarchy and give an example progression.
A: A cueing hierarchy orders prompts from least to most intrusive (e.g., wait → visual
cue → model → verbal cue → physical assistance).
Rationale: Hierarchies promote independence by using minimal support to elicit correct
responses.
9. Q: What is Language Sampling and why is it useful?
A: Collecting spontaneous speech (e.g., conversation, story retell) to analyze syntax,
morphology, semantics, and pragmatics; useful for authentic assessment of
communicative competence.
Rationale: Samples reveal natural use of language beyond structured tests.
10.Q: Differentiate stuttering from normal disfluency.
A: Stuttering often includes tension, prolongations, blocks, secondary behaviors, and
negative reactions; normal disfluency is common in young children and lacks physical
struggle or significant avoidance.
Rationale: Severity, secondary behaviors, and impact on functioning help distinguish
developmental disfluency from stuttering.
11.Q: Name two evidence-based strategies for early language intervention.
A: Incidental teaching and milieu teaching (focused stimulation, modeling, and
prompting in natural contexts).
Rationale: Naturalistic, child-centered strategies increase generalization and are
supported by research.
12.Q: What is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)? Give one unaided and
one aided example.
A: AAC refers to methods that supplement or replace spoken language. Unaided: sign
language; Aided: communication board or speech-generating device.
Rationale: AAC spans low-tech to high-tech options tailored to needs and
motor/cognitive abilities.
Guide (2025/2026)
1. Q: What is the primary role of an SLPA under state licensure and ASHA guidelines?
A: To provide delegated speech-language services under the direct supervision of a
licensed SLP, following the SLP’s plan of care, documenting services, and reporting
progress and changes.
Rationale: SLPAs are not independent practitioners. Their scope is delegation-based;
they implement, not develop, assessment or treatment plans.
2. Q: Define norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests and give one example use for
each.
A: Norm-referenced tests compare a client’s performance to a normative sample (e.g.,
standardized articulation test); criterion-referenced tests measure performance against a
set standard or specific skills (e.g., curriculum-based language probe).
Rationale: Distinguishing test types guides interpretation: norm-referenced yields
percentile/standard scores; criterion-referenced tracks mastery.
3. Q: What is a basal and a ceiling in standardized testing?
A: Basal = the level at which items are all passed and below which testing is assumed
mastered; Ceiling = the level at which consecutive items are failed and testing stops.
Rationale: Basal/ceiling rules ensure efficient, valid administration without unnecessary
items.
4. Q: Name three common articulation errors and one typical phonological process in
young children.
A: Errors: omission, substitution, distortion. Process: final consonant deletion.
Rationale: Understanding error types/processes is essential for differential diagnosis
and treatment planning.
5. Q: What is the difference between speech sound disorder (SSD) and apraxia of speech?
A: SSD is difficulty producing sounds (phonetic or phonemic); apraxia is a motor
planning/programming disorder causing inconsistent errors and groping.
Rationale: Features like inconsistency, prosodic abnormalities, and groping point to
apraxia rather than a developmental SSD.
, 6. Q: List two signs of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS).
A: Inconsistent errors on repeated productions and disrupted prosody (e.g., abnormal
stress).
Rationale: CAS affects motor planning; inconsistent productions despite cues are
hallmark signs.
7. Q: What are the three main parts of a SOAP note? Briefly state what goes in each.
A: Subjective (caregiver/client comments), Objective (data: activities, cues,
performance), Assessment (analysis of progress/response), Plan (next steps,
recommendations).
Rationale: SOAP structure organizes clinical documentation for clarity and continuity.
8. Q: Define cueing hierarchy and give an example progression.
A: A cueing hierarchy orders prompts from least to most intrusive (e.g., wait → visual
cue → model → verbal cue → physical assistance).
Rationale: Hierarchies promote independence by using minimal support to elicit correct
responses.
9. Q: What is Language Sampling and why is it useful?
A: Collecting spontaneous speech (e.g., conversation, story retell) to analyze syntax,
morphology, semantics, and pragmatics; useful for authentic assessment of
communicative competence.
Rationale: Samples reveal natural use of language beyond structured tests.
10.Q: Differentiate stuttering from normal disfluency.
A: Stuttering often includes tension, prolongations, blocks, secondary behaviors, and
negative reactions; normal disfluency is common in young children and lacks physical
struggle or significant avoidance.
Rationale: Severity, secondary behaviors, and impact on functioning help distinguish
developmental disfluency from stuttering.
11.Q: Name two evidence-based strategies for early language intervention.
A: Incidental teaching and milieu teaching (focused stimulation, modeling, and
prompting in natural contexts).
Rationale: Naturalistic, child-centered strategies increase generalization and are
supported by research.
12.Q: What is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)? Give one unaided and
one aided example.
A: AAC refers to methods that supplement or replace spoken language. Unaided: sign
language; Aided: communication board or speech-generating device.
Rationale: AAC spans low-tech to high-tech options tailored to needs and
motor/cognitive abilities.
