Understanding the Role of a Speech Pathologist

Speech Language Pathologists work with individuals to address communication, cognition, and swallowing skills. Working with a Speech Pathologist in therapy can help a person become an effective communicator with personalized goals and activities.

What is a Speech Pathologist?

Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs), also known as Speech Therapists (STs), are professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders in people across the age spectrum. An SLP can address the following skills: improving speech intelligibility, building vocabulary and reading comprehension, teaching social skills and pragmatics, or helping patients grow their cognitive functioning skills.

SLPs are clinicians who have received a bachelor's and master's degree from an accredited university program, have completed a 36-week clinical fellowship, acquired a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), and are licensed by their respective states.

What Does a Speech Pathologist Do?

Assessing Communication Challenges

Speech Language Pathologists use comprehensive means to assess your communication needs. While the tests and activities will vary based on your needs, an SLP's evaluation of speech and language typically includes:

• Case History (A case history includes pertinent medical, developmental, psychological, educational, and social history. The SLP will take this information and will use it to create personalized treatment goals and recommendations when compared to the scores of formal and informal testing)
• Formal Testing (Assessments that are evidence-based and normed on a large scale. It allows SLPs to compare and analyze scores compared to peers who are similarly aged and who have also taken the assessment.)
• Informal Testing (activities and unstructured means to assess speech and language outside of formal testing. These can include collecting language samples, story retells, and interviews)

Developing Personalized Treatment Plans

After the evaluation period, the SLP will take all the information and scores collected and create a personalized treatment plan. Treatment plans include long and short-term goals to address in therapy sessions, recommendations of what one can do outside of therapy which can include community resources, referrals to other medical/educational professionals as needed, and programs and applications that can supplement therapy activities.

Providing Therapy for a Variety of Disorders

Speech Language Pathologists treat a wide variety of communication and swallowing areas including but not limited to:

• Speech Disorders
• Language Disorders
• Voice Disorders
• Fluency Disorders
• Cognitive Communication
• Executive Functioning Skills
• Swallowing Disorders
• Feeding and Lactation
• Social Communication (Pragmatics)

A comprehensive list of areas an SLP can work with you on can be found on Verse Therapy's Services page. In addition to types of disorders and conditions, Verse provides treatment methods and activities an SLP may use to help you grow your communication.

Supporting Families and Caregivers

The role of a speech language pathologist also includes counseling and supporting families in their communication needs. While assessment and therapy provide the foundational support, counseling and consultation with family and support systems can ensure treatment is generalized to other settings and skills.

Where Do Speech Pathologists Work?

The most common place to find speech language pathologists is in schools and hospitals, but the setting in which an SLP can work is much more wide-reaching. In schools, SLPs can be found in preschools, elementary settings, high schools, universities, and adult transition programs. SLPs work with students and address speech, language, fluency, voice, and cognitive needs that impact a student's academics through IEP support and services. Speech language pathologists are vital to hospital rehabilitation teams and can be asked to assist in various units including intensive care (ICU), neonatal intensive care (NICU), and emergency rooms (ER). SLPs also work with various departments including Otolaryngology (ENT), Neurology, Psychiatry, Oncology, Pediatrics, and Gastroenterology (GI) among others to address patients' communication, swallowing, and cognitive needs.

In addition to schools and hospitals, SLPs can also lend their expertise in several specialized environments such as skilled nursing homes, private practices, early intervention programs, in research, staffing agencies, and the corporate world.

Speech language pathologists are always looking to the horizon in terms of how to reach as many individuals as possible. Teletherapy has been one-way SLPs have been able to reach a broader community through virtual sessions and consultations.

Who Do Speech Pathologists Help?

Whether is an articulation disorder, swallowing concerns, or cognitive rehabilitation, speech language pathologists work across the age spectrum to address communication.

How Speech Pathologists Help with Communication Challenges

Addressing Speech Disorders

Speech language pathologists can address a wide range of speech-related disorders including but not limited to: articulation disorders, motor speech disorders like apraxia of speech, stuttering, and cluttering, and overall speech intelligibility.

Intervention is personalized and addresses specific targets of speech. Examples of therapy include working on the /r/ sound at the beginning of words, practicing a slow and easy speech for stuttering, or imitating consonant-vowel combinations to hone motor planning.

Improving Language Skills

Language-based therapy works on various components of language. According to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), SLPs work in phonology (sounds), morphology (words), syntax (grammar), semantics (vocabulary), and pragmatics (social skills).

The setting in which language therapy resides can play a vital role in what is addressed. In schools, students will work on answering wh- questions or implementing conjunctions appropriate to help them in their academics. In the hospital, patients may work on honing memory, swallowing exercises, or regaining vocabulary or grammar skills after a traumatic brain injury or stroke. In professional settings, executives and HR teams can work with SLPs to address appropriate workplace communication, executive functioning, and self-advocacy and communication empowerment.

Mention tools like interactive games, visual aids, and role-playing to make language development engaging and effective.

Supporting Social Communication

Pragmatics is the use of language in various social settings. Not only does it relate to conversation skills and etiquette, but it also includes our understanding of implied social rules, nonverbal language, and the context of cultural and societal differences in communication. Therapy related to social communication is personalized the client's needs and preferences; it can include working on identifying body language and facial expressions, strategies on how to repair a communication breakdown, and activities to help a client become an empowered and effective communicator. Group speech and language therapy is associated with social communication as it provides clients a way to practice real-world scenarios in a safe and supportive environment.

Treating Swallowing Disorders

Speech language pathologists in hospital and medical settings will also address swallowing disorders also known as dysphagia. To thoroughly evaluate swallowing abilities, an SLP will gather a detailed case history, review information about previous surgeries and medical conditions, and conduct formal testing, such as a swallow study or instrumental assessments like endoscopy. Treatment for dysphagia can involve exercises to strengthen the swallow function and safe swallowing practices that address posture, food and liquid consistency, and diet.

How to Find a Speech Pathologist

Finding a speech language pathologist close to you is actually easier than you think! There are many ways to looks for an SLP if you are in need of services. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) has the ASHA ProFind tool on their website which matches SLPs close to you based on their specialties and location. If you receive health benefits, most insurances have directories of SLPs they work with who can help you with your communication needs. School districts hire speech language pathologists to offer assessment and therapy services for your child at their home schools! Reach out to your local district if you feel your child would benefit from speech therapy to aid in their academic success.

At Verse Therapy, we offer a directory that can match you with an SLP in your state based on your needs and availability.

Ready to Work with a Speech Pathologist?

When it comes to communication, cognition, and swallowing concerns, a licensed speech language pathologist can play a vital role on your care team. Speech language pathologists are not only qualified to address communication challenges, they also can work seamlessly with other clinical professionals on how to create enriched communication environments.

Verse Therapy is committed to helping you find qualified therapists to assist you in your communication needs, whether it be in person or virtually. Verse works with speech language pathologists across the country of varying specialties and pieces of training. If you are looking for more information please reach out to a speech language pathologist in your state using our 'Find Your Therapist' directory!