A. Except as otherwise provided by this section, no person shall practice speech-language pathology or audiology unless such person is licensed pursuant to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act.

B. The Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act shall not be construed to prevent:

1. A person licensed under any other law of this state from engaging in the profession or occupation for which such person is licensed, provided such person does not represent himself or herself to be a speech-language pathologist or audiologist;

2. An employee of the federal government, state, county or municipal government, or an agency or political subdivision thereof, from engaging in such employee's duties of employment;

3. The hearing testing or any other act conducted by licensed physicians within the scope of their licensed profession or by persons conducting hearing tests or other acts under the direct supervision of the physician;

4. The activities and services of a hearing-aid dealer or fitter so long as the activities and services of such dealer or fitter are limited to the selection, adaptation, distribution or sale of hearing aids, and the testing, instruction, and counseling pertaining thereto, as long as such hearing-aid dealer or fitter does not represent himself or herself to be an audiologist;

5. A teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, certified by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, or certified nationally by the Council on Education of the Deaf, from engaging in the profession for which such teacher is trained. The services of a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing shall be directed solely to those persons having or suspected of having a hearing disorder;

6. Any person not a resident of this state and who has not established offices in this state, from engaging in the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology in this state for a period that, in the aggregate, does not exceed seven (7) days in any calendar year, if such a person's education and experience is the substantial equivalent to that of a licensed speech-language pathologist or audiologist as described in Section 1605 of this title; and

7. The activities of hearing screening programs which are conducted by employees or trained volunteers who are providing these services under the auspices of public or private charitable agencies.

C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a person licensed in this state to perform speech-language pathology or audiology services is hereby designated to be a practitioner of the healing art for purposes of making a referral for speech-language pathology or audiology services pursuant to the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law 105-17, as amended, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Added by Laws 1973, c. 203, § 4, emerg. eff. May 17, 1973. Amended by Laws 1982, c. 56, § 1, operative Oct. 1, 1982; Laws 1998, c. 202, § 4, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 2004, c. 543, § 8, eff. July 1, 2004; Laws 2018, c. 230, § 2, emerg. eff. May 7, 2018.