Speech Therapy
Life is hard enough. But how hard would a life be, for someone without the ability to speak? That’s why you do what you do.
You bring people to language. And you bring language to people.
You work collaboratively at a very satisfying level— with healers like neurologists and nurses. But what you look forward to most is counseling and helping patients and families.
You deeply enjoy teaching them how to lessen the frustration of impaired communication, and even help the afflicted learn to speak.
How did you become who you are now? You were looking for ways to help people.
When you started thinking about college, you were looking through the catalogues for something in human services. That’s when you discovered courses in linguistics and communication disorders. You signed up and fell in love with the field.
The rewards are great. The work can be frustrating. But every day you work to see patients make progress. When they’re able to regain basic communication and eating skills, their lives become much more normal and enjoyable. It’s also a real privilege to help families make tough decisions about care for loved ones who are no longer able to eat normally.
You are a speech therapist.
You studied speech-language pathology, and it taught you how to assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, and fluency.
As a speech-language therapists (or pathologist), you work with language-impaired people— people who cannot produce speech sounds or cannot produce them clearly; those with speech rhythm and fluency problems, such as stuttering; people with voice disorders, such as inappropriate pitch or harsh voice; those with problems understanding and producing language; those who wish to improve their communication skills by modifying an accent; and those with cognitive communication impairments, such as attention, memory, and problem solving disorders.
Speech-language pathologists like you develop an individualized plan of care, tailored to each patient’s needs. For individuals with little or no speech capability, speech-language pathologists may select augmentative or alternative communication methods, including automated devices and sign language, and teach their use.
You teach patients how to make sounds, improve their voices, or increase their oral or written language skills to communicate more effectively. You also can help patients develop, or recover, reliable communication and swallowing skills so patients can fulfill their educational, vocational, and social roles.
Some speech-language pathologists conduct research on how people communicate. Others design and develop equipment or techniques for diagnosing and treating speech problems.
Life as a speech-language pathologist most often requires a master’s degree level of education.
Speech-language pathology courses cover anatomy, physiology, and the development of the areas of the body involved in speech, language, and swallowing; the nature of disorders; principles of acoustics; and psychological aspects of communication.
Graduate students also learn to evaluate and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders and receive supervised clinical training in communication disorders.
In 2007, 47 States regulated speech-language pathologists through licensure or registration. A passing score on the national examination on speech-language pathology, offered through the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service, is required.
Other usual requirements include 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and 9 months of postgraduate professional clinical experience. Forty-one States have continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurers generally require a practitioner to be licensed to qualify for reimbursement.
Only 12 States require this same license to practice in the public schools.
The other States issue a teaching license or certificate that typically requires a master’s degree from an approved college or university.
Some States will grant a provisional teaching license or certificate to applicants with a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree must be earned within 3 to 5 years. A few States grant a full teacher’s certificate or license to bachelor’s degree applicants.
In some States, the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association meets some or all of the requirements for licensure. To earn a CCC, a person must have a graduate degree from an accredited university, 400 hours of supervised clinical experience, complete a 36-week postgraduate clinical fellowship, and pass the Praxis Series examination in speech-language pathology administered by the Educational Testing Service. Contact your State’s Licensing Board for details on your State’s requirements.
Job opportunities are expected to be excellent. As the members of the baby boom generation continue to age, the possibility of neurological disorders and associated speech, language, and swallowing impairments increases. Medical advances also are improving the survival rate of premature infants and trauma and stroke victims, who then need assessment and sometimes treatment.
Employment in educational services will increase with the growth in elementary and secondary school enrollments, including enrollment of special education students. Federal law guarantees special education and related services to all eligible children with disabilities. Greater awareness of the importance of early identification and diagnosis of speech and language disorders in young children will also increase employment.
Some employers may reimburse speech-language pathologists for their required continuing education credits.
The graduate level of knowledge is there if you want it. The work is rewarding both financially and emotionally.
A master’s degree is the most common level of education among speech-language pathologists.
Begin with your Bachelor’s and go from there. It will take years of work but will open the door to a life of satisfaction and earnings.
More than 230 colleges and universities offered graduate programs in speech-language pathology— accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
To begin your studies in speech pathology, contact your local universities, or go online and explore all the many possibilities that suit your needs best. And your dreams.
NOTES:
For information on careers in speech-language pathology, a description of the CCC-SLP credential, and a listing of accredited graduate programs in speech-language pathology, contact:
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. http://www.asha.org
State licensing boards can provide information on licensure requirements.
State departments of education can supply information on certification requirements for those who wish to work in public schools.
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[...] the original post: Speech Therapy- Grad2B By admin | category: accredited degree experience life | tags: ccc, citywide-or-top, [...]
[...] The rewards of being a speech pathologist are great. The work can be frustrating at times but every day you work to see patients make progress. When a patient is unable to regain basic communication and eating skills, their lives become much more normal and enjoyable. It’s also a real privilege to help families make tough decisions about care for loved ones who are no longer able to eat normally. For more information on the benefits to becoming a speech pathologist check out this blog post on grad2b.com. [...]