Speech Pathologists

Parentberries
1

I am interested in pursuing a career in speech pathology (speech therapy), but feel as though I don’t have a good understanding of everything they do. I have been unable to get any work experience in the area due to government restrictions and feel a bit lost for information- I really want to be sure I want to do it before begining a university course.
I was wondering if anyone has had any experiences with a speech pathologist for their children (or themselves) and what it involved. I am hoping to get a better insight into what kind of work they do, particularly with kids (I’m hoping to specialise in paediatrics).

Thank you for your help :slight_smile:

2

Hello! I’ve been itching to get to a computer since I read your post yesterday on my phone (haha). My three year old son goes to Speech Therapy once a week. It lasts half an hour, though I think there are some places/situations where the pathologist would meet more than once a week, or have longer sessions with patients. My son was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, but he is a mild case.
Basically, his SLP (Speech/Language Pathologist) takes him into a room and plays games with him. It seems very simple, but she is training him right now to put more than one syllable together. So she will show him a picture of a bow, and then a knee and try to get him to say it quickly. What he doesn’t realize is he has made a new word- boney. Based on what I have seen in the office here, there seem to be a lot of children who are normal and just have a speech delay. This means the SLP is just trying to diagnose (if necessary) the reason for the speech delay. I.E., my son also has Apraxia of Speech, which couldn’t be diagnosed until he met with his SLP. Some children have been in car accidents and have lost their ability to talk, etc. It is coaching on a one-on-one basis, usually with the parent there, although there are exceptions. I will not be attending with my son any more because the baby is a distraction during his lesson, and he feels he doesn’t need to listen to another adult when I am in the room.
Anyway, I think this is a wonderful field to be a part of, and if you are interested in more information just message me! I will tell you everything I can think of! Best of luck to you.

3

OK- my experience with a speech pathologist was in the mid-90’s when I was in public school in [name]America[/name]…I have no idea if this is helpful to you. I was a child with a lisp and the school put me into weekly private speech classes…I don’t know what I was pulled out of? Recess? Gym? [name]Don[/name]'t remember…But I would meet with this woman, a speech teacher and read things aloud to her and look at my face in a mirror while pronouncing words. She was employed by the school, probably full time, spending maybe an hour per week with each child. No idea what her caseload was like. Well, the woman cured my lisp for the most part (still comes out a bit if I’m drunk or over-tired!). Good luck. My sister wanted to pursue this career at one point, not for children but for trannys actually- I guess a man trying to talk at a higher pitch than is natural to their vocal chords (or a woman talking deeper) can be damaging in the long term. Interesting stuff.

4

I have only a bachelors in communication disorders (speech therapy). I worked for almost 2 years in the field before going back for my teaching certification (longer story). Nowadays, you really need your masters to get any kind of work. I was an assistant which meant I could only provide therapy, no assessments or diagnosis. I worked under a licensed SLP. I treated patients from 1yr old all the way to elderly. I worked in a private practice and dealt with mostly articulation, language, a few with autism and CP, and some preemies. We also contracted with a hospital and rehab so I saw older patients with swallowing disorders, aphasia, and apraxia. I enjoyed all aspects of the job. I never worked in specifically pediatrics, however I am an elementary teacher now and my son does attend speech weekly. The school SLP has a lot more patients than I ever did. She has numerous schools to visit weekly. My son is doing great and we see tons of improvement. I don’t think there is really any way to get experience prior to staring the classes unless you work as a receptionist or something else in a clinic. I hope all this helps, please feel free to ask any more questions :slight_smile:

5

Well, I’m a few months late, but if you’re still interested in SLP I can be a resource. I am a speech-language pathologist (3 years out of grad school.) My current job, (which I will start in [name]August[/name],) will be working with preK in a school setting. Previously, I worked with 3rd-4th graders, early intervention, and geriatric swallowing/language/cognition in nursing homes.

You have to have Master’s in SLP to practice in the US. Most programs are very rigorous and fairly difficult to get into, (my graduate school had a 25% acceptance rate when I got in. That dropped to 10% by the time I finished.) You will need an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in order to get into a graduate program. You can have a different undergrad, (mine was in elementary education,) but you will have to take an entire year of prerequisite courses before starting graduate work.

I [name]LOVE[/name] my job. We are in demand right now. I get at least 2-3 calls or emails per week asking if I need work. We typically make more than regular teachers, (if you choose to work in education.) Salaries grow if you go into contracting (I made $56/hr doing early intervention/home therapy.) You also make more in the nursing homes, (I made $42/hr. right out of grad school.) I’m not trying to flaunt my salary, (which has taken a huge cut since I took a school job) however, I do know what it’s like to be on your side of things, wanting to know the real story and all the answers you get are so vague. So there it is, not being vague!

The great thing about SLP is the versatility. There are virtually endless areas to specialize in: (apraxia, stuttering, swallowing, voice, head and neck cancer, language, articulation, and on and on and on.) Plus, you can go really medical or very educational. You can be in the operating room, (yes, if you work on a cleft palate team, this might very well be you.) Or, you can spend your days in the classroom and your summers off!

I’m always excited to meet potential additions to our exciting field of SLP. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions. I’d me more than happy to help you!

6

[name]Hi[/name] there!
I am going to echo much of what tintri replied! I am also a licensed/certified Speech-Language Pathologist. I am four years out of graduate school and will be going into my 5th year of clinical practice in [name]August[/name]. I think the best resource I could provide you with is the [name]ASHA[/name] (American Speech-Language Hearing Association)'s website: www.asha.org. [name]ASHA[/name] is our national accreditation body, and has an absolute wealth of information! There is a section for “students” where you can find out about programs in your area, the average GPA of students who were accepted, contact information etc. To be a SLP, you will need to pursue a Master’s degree to practice, as that is the entry level degree in our field.

I cannot say enough about the profession! I can honestly say that I love what I do, and I enjoy and am excited about going to work every single day! As an SLP, you have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings (I have worked in private practice (children and adult rehab), early intervention, private and public schools) make your own hours, and make good money while doing it … and of course don’t forget the most rewarding part of the job - helping others to be able to communicate! Not that I have to tell you how important communication is … but, it’s one of the best feelings in the world to help a child/adult learn/re-learn to talk!!! Anyway, I won’t keep rambling, since you have many other wonderful responses here … if you have any other questions or wish to chat PM me! Good luck in your pursuit! :o)

7

Sorry about the very late reply, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied to this thread! All of the information was really helpful and helped me to confirm that I would love to get into this career! I have just appiled for a Masters course in 2013 and I have my fingers crossed that I get in. Thank you again for all of your help!

8

I dated a guy who went to ucla and was studying to become a speech pathologist. He said it was one of the most challenging areas of study they offered and one of the most competitive as well. The courses were extremely difficult to get into and even harder to complete. I just remember him telling me it was practically impossible to get his degree, and he was one of the smartest and most motivated people I have ever met. My cousin (who is not so smart, but also highly motivated) failed toget in to the program after two tries and decided to go into child psychology instead. Apparently it was a lot easier and required a lot less time and effort even though both require the same amount of school (phd).

9

My brother went to speech classes from age 2-5 at the local hospital due to his delay in speech (he didn’t start talking until he was 4) and the for his speech impediment, of which I also have. Our tongue muscles don’t work right so we can’t make an “r” sound. It comes out as a “w”.
My brother’s private lessons were just games. When we got to public school we had 30 min sessions one on one with a speech therapist. It consisted of trying to strengthen the muscles. We had to lick a spoonful of peanut butter with the tip of our tongue, make a bowl and hold water.
My brother went for 5 years and his is almost completely gone
I went for 7 years and mine is still noticeable. Turkey is towkey, quarter sounds like quoter. My SO’s name becomes Mawrtin. Over the past year I’ve noticed that I still get tongue tied a lot and I’ve gotten worse about the clarity of those words so I’ll often slow my speech down and concentrate on those words a little more. It’s funny to watch an 18 year old focus on words like someone learning to talk would but sometimes its really embarrassing and frustrating.