54-2903. DEFINITIONS. As used in this chapter:

(1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a license or permit under this chapter.

(2) "Audiologist" means a natural person who meets the requirements of this chapter, is duly licensed in accordance with this chapter and is engaged in the practice of audiology.

(3) "Board" means the speech, hearing and communication services licensure board.

(4) "Bureau" means the bureau of occupational licenses.

(5) "Department" means the department of self-governing agencies.

(6) "Hearing aid" means any wearable electronic instrument or other device designed for the purpose of aiding or compensating for impaired human hearing and any parts, attachments or accessories, including earmolds attached to the hearing aid, but excluding batteries and cords. "Hearing aid" does not include those devices classified by the federal drug administration as assistive listening devices.

(7) "Hearing aid dealer and fitter" means a person licensed pursuant to this chapter to provide hearing aid evaluations and to sell, dispense and fit hearing aids in the state of Idaho.

(8) "Hearing aid evaluation" means the measurement of human hearing for the purpose of selecting or adapting a hearing aid, and not for obtaining medical diagnosis or legal documentation, and includes the following:

(a) Air conduction threshold testing;

(b) Bone conduction threshold testing;

(c) Speech reception threshold testing;

(d) Speech discrimination testing;

(e) Most comfortable loudness level testing; and

(f) Uncomfortable loudness level testing.

(9) "Improper fitting" means a pattern of hearing aid selections or adaptations, which cause physical damage to any portion of the ear, in which the electroacoustic characteristics of the hearing aid are inadequate for the consumer, or in which the hearing aid is physically or acoustically unsuited to the consumer including, but not limited to:

(a) An all-in-the-ear hearing aid, which continually falls out of the ear;

(b) Any hearing aid or earmold, which causes inappropriate feedback, pain or discomfort to the ear within thirty (30) days of the original delivery of the hearing aid to the consumer;

(c) Fitting a consumer with impacted cerumen; or

(d) Fitting a consumer with either an apparent unilateral sensorineural hearing loss or a significant air-bone gap without prior medical evaluation and approval.

(10) "License" means a license issued by the board under this chapter.

(11) "Practice of audiology" means to apply the principles, methods and procedures of measurement, evaluation, testing, counseling, consultation and instruction that relate to the development and disorders of hearing, vestibular functions and related language and speech disorders to prevent, modify or rehabilitate the disorders or to assist individuals in auditory and related skills for communication, and may include intraoperative monitoring and the fitting, adjustment, programming, selling and dispensing of hearing aids and assistive devices.

(12) "Practice of fitting and dealing in hearing aids" means the selection, adaptation, dispensing, fitting or sale of hearing aids, and includes the testing of hearing by means of an audiometer, or by any other device designed specifically for these purposes. The practice also includes the making of impressions for earmolds.

(13) "Practice of sign language interpreting" means the application of the process of providing effective communication between and among persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, speech impaired and those who can hear. The process includes, but is not limited to, communication between American sign language or other forms of manual communication and English. The process may also involve various other modalities that involve visual, gestural and tactile methods.

(14) "Practice of speech-language pathology" means the application of principles, methods and procedures of measurement, evaluation, testing, counseling, rehabilitation, screening, consultation and instruction that relate to the development and disorders of human communication including, but not limited to, speech (articulation, fluency, voice, accent reduction) and language, swallowing, cognitive communication disorders, augmentative and alternative communication systems and related hearing disorders.

(15) "Provisional permit" means a permit issued to an applicant who is registered to obtain required experience to become licensed.

(16) "Sign language interpreter" means a natural person who meets the requirements of this chapter, is duly licensed in accordance with this chapter, and who engages in the practice of sign language interpreting.

(17) "Speech-language pathologist" means a natural person who meets the requirements of this chapter, is duly licensed in accordance with this chapter, and who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.

(18) "Speech-language pathologist aide" means a natural person who meets the requirements of this chapter, is duly licensed in accordance with this chapter, and who works under the direction and supervision of a speech-language pathologist. A speech-language pathologist aide shall not act or provide services independently of a supervising speech-language pathologist licensed in Idaho.

(19) "Speech-language pathologist assistant" means a natural person who meets the requirements of this chapter, is duly licensed in accordance with this chapter, and works under the direction and supervision of a speech-language pathologist. A speech-language pathologist assistant shall not act or provide services independently of a supervising speech-language pathologist licensed in Idaho.

History:

[54-2903, added 2005, ch. 277, sec. 2, p. 853; am. 2017, ch. 67, sec. 2, p. 157.]