Who Gets to Decide?

In this episode of Inside SLP, Megan looks beyond speech-language pathology to ask how professions decide where authority should live. From AOTA’s decision to separate certification from its professional association to decades of antitrust challenges involving ASHA and other professions, this episode explores what happens when certification, advocacy, accreditation, and professional representation overlap. Who gets to speak for a profession? What makes that authority legitimate? And what mechanisms exist to challenge it when practitioners want something different?Sources:Bogus v. American Speech & Hearing Association, 582 F.2d 277 (3d Cir. 1978).National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. v. American Occupational Therapy Association, 24 F. Supp. 2d 494 (D. Md. 1998).Palazzi et al. v. National Court Reporters Association, No. 2:25-cv-00077 (D.N.J. filed Jan. 3, 2025).Connect:Contact Megan: therapyinsights.com/insideslpPACT Survey: pactsurvey.com