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The Wave | April 2026 Issue
Welcome to The Wave, CASLPO’s monthly e-newsletter for registrants! The Wave brings together all of the College's key updates into one easy-to-read format.
In This Issue:
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Each May, Speech and Hearing Month raises awareness about communication health and the important role that speech-language pathologists and audiologists play in supporting it. It highlights the value of early identification, timely intervention, and ongoing care for people with speech, language, swallowing, hearing, and balance needs.
This year’s theme, “Access Changes Everything,” highlights how essential communication health services are across the lifespan. When people have timely access to these services, they experience better health outcomes, stronger social connections, and more opportunities to fully participate in school, work, and community life. When access is limited, communication challenges may go unaddressed, leading to increased stress, social isolation, reduced academic success, and barriers in daily functioning that also affect families and communities.
The month also helps the public better understand the range of services CASLPO’s registrants provide. This includes supporting children as they develop communication skills and helping adults manage hearing loss, swallowing disorders, and communication challenges related to injury, illness, or aging.
Throughout May, we will share information and resources through our Facebook page to help raise awareness and support registrants in their work. Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC) also produces new Speech and Hearing Month materials each year to promote communication health and raise public awareness about communication disorders. Consider following along, sharing these resources, and taking part in recognizing Speech and Hearing Month.
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CASLPO’s OTC Hearing Aids Task Force Shares Completed Report In the February 2026 issue of The Wave, we shared that in response to inquiries from registrants and the public, CASLPO created a Task Force to look at how access to over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids may affect public protection, registrant practice, and Ontario’s hearing care system.
Health Canada has approved some OTC devices for sale in Canada; however, the law surrounding access to hearing aids varies among provinces. In Ontario, hearing aids currently require a prescription from a physician or audiologist under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA).
The Task Force examined whether OTC hearing aids should be accessible in Ontario and, if so, how they could be introduced within the existing RHPA framework. The Task Force:
The Task Force has completed its report, Recommendations to Allow Access to Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Ontarians. It outlines evidence-informed recommendations for introducing OTC hearing aids safely in Ontario while maintaining strong public protections. These recommendations include:
On March 6, the Board of Directors approved the report, and also approved sharing it with the Ministry of Health.
What This Means for Registrants
Ontario’s RHPA still requires a prescription for all devices that are categorized as hearing aids, including OTC hearing aids. This continues to raise questions about the legal availability of OTC hearing aids for the public in Ontario. CASLPO’s guidance to audiologists is focused on supporting Ontarians who are considering or using OTC hearing aids obtained elsewhere. This includes helping patients understand the benefits, risks, and limitations of hearing technology and discussing alternative options when appropriate. The CASLPO practice guidance document on Service for Over-the-Counter and other Non-Prescribed Hearing Aids continues to apply.
CASLPO has developed a patient resource, What to Consider Before Using Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids, which explains when OTC hearing aids may be appropriate, when they may not be suitable, and why consultation with a regulated health professional is still important. Audiologists are encouraged to use and share this resource to address questions from patients and their relevant others.
We encourage you to review the Task Force report and familiarize yourself with its findings and recommendations. As regulated health professionals, audiologists and SLPs play an important role as trusted sources of information, helping patients make informed decisions about their hearing health care.
Read the full OTC Hearing Aids Task Force Report here.
Read CASLPO’s submission to the British Columbia Ministry of Health regarding their consultation on OTC Hearing Aids here.
Take a few minutes to complete a short survey that will inform updates to CASLPO’s Definition of Patient Care and Related Work Policy. This policy supports the minimum currency requirement of 750 hours of patient care or related work over a three-year period. CASLPO is reviewing the definitions to ensure they reflect current practice, including evolving service delivery models and professional roles.
Your feedback will help guide discussions at the Registration Committee. The Board of Directors will review and approve any changes.
Before completing the survey, please review the current policy (REG-07).
The deadline to participate in the survey is May 29, 2026.
CASLPO Board of Directors Election: Voting Starts Tomorrow (April 24)The nomination period for the CASLPO Board election closed on April 12. Two seats on the Board were filled by acclamation and elections will be held for the two remaining seats.
Congratulations to:
Their terms begin May 26, 2026.
CASLPO will hold an election to fill the two remaining seats:
Each of these seats has three candidates.
Voting opens tomorrow (April 24, 2026). Eligible registrants in Districts 1 and 3 will receive an email with a personalized, secure voting link.
We encourage those voting to visit our elections webpage to review all candidate statements.
Board members serve three-year terms, with a maximum of three terms. Serving on the Board is an opportunity to support the regulation of your profession in the public interest.
If you have questions, please contact [email protected].
Election Timeline
We have launched a new registrant-focused resource with information on some of the ways you can get involved and contribute to your profession.
The “Get Involved with the Professions” webpage brings together information on opportunities to support CASLPO’s work, including serving on committees, participating in focus groups and advisory initiatives, and taking on roles such as peer assessor, mentor, supervisor of international applicants, or practice coach. It also includes information on how to become a clinical educator and support students in audiology and speech-language pathology graduate programs.
These roles offer meaningful opportunities for registrants to engage with and support the professions, while also helping CASLPO advance its mandate. Your participation in regulatory activities is how the College and registrants can work together to support public protection.
We encourage you to explore the page and consider how you might get involved.
Time is running out to recognize someone who has made an exceptional contribution to advancing CASLPO’s mission and supporting public protection. Nominations close on April 30, 2026.
This award recognizes individuals, both registrants and members of the public, whose work has helped strengthen the regulation of audiology and speech-language pathology in Ontario. Contributions may include volunteering with CASLPO programs, serving on committees, participating in advisory groups, or supporting the College’s work in other meaningful ways.
Who Can Nominate
Registrants, members of the public, and CASLPO staff may submit nominations.
How to Nominate
Complete the nomination form and submit it to [email protected] by April 30, 2026.
The Board’s Executive Committee will review nominations and bring recommendations to the Board of Directors in June 2026.
Assessment is a core part of audiology and speech-language pathology. Standardized tools are designed to support consistency and objectivity in clinical decision-making. However, as patient populations become increasingly diverse, questions are being raised about how well these tools reflect differences in language, culture, and lived experience.
Language and communication are shaped by many factors, including culture, environment, and identity. When standardized tools are developed using narrow population samples, they may not fully account for this variability. This can contribute to assessment bias — where the way a test is designed, normed, or interpreted, leads to certain groups being more likely to be identified as needing intervention services, regardless of their actual needs.
Assessment bias may show up in clinical settings in different ways:
Standardized tools remain valuable, but context matters in how results are interpreted.
Approaches to Support Inclusive Assessment
Clinicians may consider using multiple sources of information, such as observation and patient or caregiver input, alongside standardized tools. Interpretation can also be adapted based on linguistic and cultural context, with flexible approaches like dynamic assessment offering additional insight. Where appropriate, interpreters or other supports may help provide important context for assessment findings. These approaches complement, rather than replace, standardized tools.
Key Takeaway: Recognizing the diversity of communication experiences, and the potential for assessment bias, can support more inclusive, responsive care. Ongoing reflection on assessment practices helps ensure they meet the needs of all populations.
In keeping with CASLPO’s statutory mandate regarding protecting the public, the College proactively investigates all complaints and reports as well as addresses capacity concerns regarding its registrants. The College also administers disciplinary action when necessary, in matters involving allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence.
You can view the latest discipline decisions in the Discipline section of CASLPO website here.
© 2026 CASLPO
© 2026 CASLPO
This website is intended to provide information to the public and registrants. Should there be difference in documentation previously distributed to CASLPO registrants, it is up to the registrant to source the latest version posted on the CASLPO website. Note: the term "member" and "registrant" are used interchangeably throughout CASLPO's website and documents. Both terms are synonymous with "member" as defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Act, 1991, and the Regulations under those Acts.
