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The
Profession of Speech-Language Pathology
A Longwood Student with a participant in the
Literacy Fair
Speech-language
pathologists are in high demand!
Speech-Language Pathology is a
rapidly growing field with job growth expected to be over 50% in Virginia in
this decade. Virginia is one of the top ten states with the highest
predicted job growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks speech-language
pathology among the top 30 (of 700) fastest growing occupations over the
next decade.
U.S. News and
World Report has identified speech-language
pathology as one of the top 25 careers for
2007.Learn more about this trend nationally at the
American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) website.
Learn
more about the profession of Speech-Language Pathology at ASHA
What is the job of a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Speech-language
pathologists help individuals of all ages to develop communication skills by
treating disorders of speech, language, voice, and swallowing.
Speech-language pathologists provide services that include prevention,
identification, assessment, and treatment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, such
as:
-
Language
Disorders
– difficulty comprehending and/or expressing language, which may be developmental
or may result from a stroke or other brain injury
-
Stuttering
–
difficulty producing speech smoothly; affects individuals of all ages
-
Articulation
Disorders
– difficulty producing speech sounds correctly
-
Voice
Disorders
– difficulty with vocal quality, which can result from illness, injury or
vocal behaviors such as yelling
-
Swallowing
Disorders
– difficulty swallowing, which can result from stroke, brain injury,
illness, or surgery
-
In its 2006-07 study of shortages in
Virginia public schools, the Virginia
Department of Education reported that the
area of greatest shortage is
speech-language pathology. Shortages or
severe shortages were reported in 100 of
132 school districts.
| About 28 million people in the U.S. have some degree of reduced hearing sensitivity. |
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Additional Services Provided by Speech-Language
Pathologists
- Teaching
individuals who cannot speak to use augmentative communication systems
- Providing
accent reduction therapy to professionals in a variety of corporate and
entertainment occupations
- Developing
new treatment strategies
- Engaging
in research to expand the knowledge base in the discipline
- Preparing
future professionals
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Speech-Language Pathologists Work in a Variety of
Settings
- Public
Schools:
The greatest number of speech-language pathologists work in public schools.
A significant shortage of speech-language pathologists has existed in
Virginia public schools for a number of years, with rural school divisions
facing the greatest difficulty in securing licensed professionals to fill
these positions. School speech-language pathologists collaborate with
teachers and parents to provide services to toddlers, children, and
adolescents. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in
facilitating children’s communication and literacy skills.
- Hospitals:
Speech-language pathologists provide in-patient acute care and out-patient
rehabilitation services to a wide range of patients, such as individuals who
have suffered a stroke or traumatic brain injury, infants with swallowing
difficulties, and many others.
-
Clinics
and Private Practice: Once
a speech-language pathologist has earned the ASHA Certificate of Clinical
Competence (CCC), he or she may open a private practice to provide services
to individuals with all types of Communication Sciences and Disorders or can specialize
in a particular population or type of disorder. Clinics offering these
services often hire new graduates and provide the necessary supervision to
get started in the profession.
These
are just a few of the employment settings available to you as a
speech-language pathologist. For additional possibilities please visit ASHA
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What is the average salary for a speech-language
pathologist?
ASHA reports that salaries in schools range
from $50,000 - $61,000, for a school calendar
year (9 months) and salaries in health care
facilities average $65,000 (12 month
contract).
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What is ASHA?
The
American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national
professional and credentialing organization serving over 96,000
speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
Learn
More At:
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