The Job of a Speech-Language Pathologist

Have you ever heard someone mention a speech-language pathologist and simply had no idea what he or she was talking about? Well, you are not alone! I will admit, up until about five years ago when I was looking into possible colleges and careers, I was not aware or knowledgeable of this profession either. Since then, I have dedicated my studies to this field in hopes of becoming a speech-language pathologist myself. However, when I tell people what I am studying, I usually either get a confused nod or a request to explain what it is.

Ironically, speech-language pathologists (SLP) are employed all over the world in multiple settings such as schools and nursing homes, work with people of all ages from newborn babies to the elderly, and are in very high demand. In fact, SLP recently earned a spot in U.S. News and World Report's "Best Careers 2007."
What Do Speech-Language Pathologists Do and Who do They Help?

Speech-language pathologists (SLP) are professionals who evaluate, diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders of speech, language, cognition, and others pertaining to the throat area up to the brain. Have you or someone you know ever been pulled out of class to get special help because of difficulty articulating certain speech sounds or trouble with language skills? Do you know anyone who has had a brain injury or a stroke and experienced problems with their ability to speak, communicate thoughts, comprehend and remember things, or how to properly swallow? Do you know anyone that stutters or that has an inappropriate pitch or volume to their voice? How about someone who has a heavy accent and has trouble communicating because of it? Have you ever known someone with a hearing aid, a baby diagnosed with a hearing loss, a child with autism, a baby born prematurely, someone with mental retardation or any condition that put that person at risk for developmental disorders?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you have seen or are at least knowledgeable of the various people speech-language pathologists help on a daily basis throughout the world. Not to mention that this list is very limited and is only a quick glimpse at what SLP's do and the types of people, concerns, and disorders they work with.

After a person has been identified as someone in need of therapy, assistance, or training that an SLP is qualified to handle, then the SLP will perform in-depth evaluations and any testing necessary to determine the level of the person's already existing disorder or their at-risk level to develop a disorder. Then they will create individualized therapies and plans to help the person become as functional as possible.

Sometimes this might just include taking preventative measures to ensure that a person's disorder does not worsen, or that an at-risk person will not develop a disorder. It may be incorporating a physical resource such as an AAC device (Alternative Augmentative Communication) into a person's life that will allow him or her to communicate better using an outside resource. This can be as complex as a computer program installed into a portable device or as simple as sign language requiring no additional resources besides one's own hands.

In schools, SLP's handle a lot of speech cases such as articulation disorders. This means that the children have difficulties properly enunciating speech sounds such as the "s" sound. Or maybe they have a lisp that inhibits them from properly articulating the "th" sound in words. The SLP works with these children during a number of sessions to help them develop proper articulation through games or direct instruction on how to move their mouth and articulators to produce the sounds correctly. Another growing problem in schools is children who have difficulty with proper language use. SLP's may need to teach them proper grammar usage or what types of language are appropriate for different situations, such as the difference between talking to a teacher and a best friend.

In nursing homes/assisted living/hospitals, etc., many of the residents or patients have difficulty swallowing because of a problem with their muscles in their vocal tract that would normally allow them to do so. In these cases, it is the SLP's job to communicate with the kitchen staff and instruct them on how food must be prepared for each patient in order to help them chew and digest their food more easily. They will also talk with the residents, check up on them, help them eat even if that means feeding them. They may also prepare their drinks for them, which will require thickeners so that the liquid will not go down as fast and they will not choke. There are also a lot of people with cognitive problems such as difficulty with or the inability to problem solve, organize, or remember things. In these cases, memory, counting, organizing, categorizing, or sorting games are common therapy strategies. The point of these is mostly just to keep their minds active, to aid natural rehabilitation, and to prevent the condition from worsening.

Basically there are no boundaries in this profession. It is all about being creative and catering therapies to each individual and their specific needs and unique situations. Speech-language pathology is all about the people! A big part of the mission is to help people communicate to the best of their abilities. It is up to the SLP to learn about the patient's interests and life in order to come up with the form of communication that they and their loved ones feel would work best for them.

Sources:
Silverman, Franklin H. Essentials of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders. Cincinnati: Atomic Dog, 2003. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/best_careers_2007/careertable.htm