The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language is the global leader in certification of listening and spoken language professionals. The requirements for the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) certification set universal professional standards for knowledge and practical experience in the provision of listening and spoken language intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. The LSLS exam is defensible and verifiable, and follows National Organization for Competency
Assurance (NOCA) standards.

What is Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) Certification?

The Academy offers the LSLS certification to qualified professionals who meet rigorous academic, professional, post-graduate education and mentoring requirements, and who pass the LSLS certification exam. LSLS certified professionals are licensed
audiologists, speech-language pathologists or educators of the deaf who have voluntarily attained a high-level of specialty education and experience in listening and spoken language theory and practice.

Two LSLS designations are available:

• LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist (LSLS Cert. AVT): Works one-on-one with children and families in all intervention sessions
• LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert. AVEd): Involves the family and works directly with children in individual, group or classroom settings

Who do LSLS Certified Professionals Serve?

LSLSs work with infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families seeking a listening and spoken language outcome in a variety of settings: home-based intervention, public schools, independent schools, private therapy, clinical centers for the deaf and hard of hearing, audiological and cochlear implant centers.

This is a growing specialty within the field of hearing health and education in response to a crisis of capacity that exists due to the fact that the number of families seeking a listening and spoken language outcome far exceeds the number of qualified professionals available to meet their needs.

LSLS Certification as of March 2016

• Over 700 LSLSs are certified worldwide.
• 64% are LSLS Cert. AVT; 36% are LSLS Cert. AVEd
• 74% of LSLSs are based in the U.S. with the remainder practicing in over 30 countries internationally

Certification Maintenance

LSLS certified professionals must recertify every two years by fulfilling at least 15 verified instructional hours of educational
activities within the nine LSLS domains of knowledge.