Proof of SLP Qualifications

Qualification Level A:  There are no special qualifications to purchase these products.

Qualification Level B: These tests may be purchased only by individuals with proof of license to practice in speech-language pathology. 

The Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies  Adult and Student Versions, are to be administered by speech-language pathologists. All test purchasers must show proof of completion of a degree in speech-language pathology or registration with an approved speech-language pathology organization.

The adult and student FAVRES   were designed specifically to assess higher level cognitive-communication deficits. Their purpose is to evaluate challenges to communication in order to predict the likely impact of cognitive challenges on daily communications in complex tasks.  CCD Publishing recognizes that assessment and treatment of individuals after brain injury requires the skills expertise, and collaboration of members of a multidisciplinary team with input from psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, and many other consulting disciplines. CCD Publishing also recognizes that many healthcare and rehabilitation professionals have experience in standardized test administration and are major contributors to the evaluation of individuals with brain injuries. However, the FAVRES is a discipline specific measure intended for speech-language pathologists.

Patient care is improved by having some measure of specialization in measurement. Efforts to ensure that each discipline has separate and defined measures helps to do the following:

• Clarity: Provides clarity for patients, families and referrals sources about which assessment procedures will be given by which professions.
• Avoidance of Duplication: Prevents unnecessary duplication of testing and all of its implications (e.g. inconvenience, practice effects, excessive costs)
• Quality of Treatment Planning: The use of specific measures within a discipline helps to increase expertise with each administration and to advance the practice of those who are predicting real world performance and developing associated treatment approaches.
• Team functioning and communication –Discipline specific measures assist teams in streamlining processes, and aids in the development of positive exchange of findings.
• Expertise: Advances the expertise in test utilization and interpretation within each field

There are discipline specific assessment measures in most rehabilitation disciplines including neuropsychology ( Halstead Reitan, WISC), clinical psychology (MMPI, depression scales), occupational therapy (Canadian Occupational Performance Measures, AMPS) and physiotherapy (Berg Balance Scale, Community Mobility Scale).

Many fields within rehabilitation have expertise in the area of cognition. Speech-language pathologists have expertise in communication and the influence of cognition on communication functioning.The FAVRES and SFAVRES were designed to help speech-language pathologists analyze the impact of cognitive disturbance on higher level communications. The FAVRES and SFAVRES are to be interpreted within the context of other communication measures within a comprehensive speech-language pathology battery. A full speech-language pathology assessment analyzes the influence of cognitive functions (attention, memory, organization, reasoning, executive functions) on all aspects of communication (comprehension, expression, reading, written expression, social communication).

There are myriad assessment tools for brain injury assessment and over 78 in SLP alone. Discipline specific measures allow for the development of expertise in the use of those measures and for more streamlined research and refinement of the measures within the discipline over time. That increased specialization will enhance research in each of our fields, improve evidence based practice, and help each of our professions to embrace the unique roles that we bring to the table when we work together to help our clients achieve their goals.