The Practice of Speech Pathology

The practices of what the speech language pathologist does are to prevent, evaluate, and treat communication disorders from the very young to the very old. Prevention involves screening, early intervention, and educational programs for children and adults. Screenings are also done for hearing, speech, and language.  Communication problems can result in primary handicapped conditions or are secondary to other conditions. The severity of the problems can range from mild to extreme and may be developmental or acquired. Since language disorders create an important communication handicap and language is an important aspect of communication, the role of the speech language pathologist is crucial to improving language impairments. 

Speech pathologists work with people who stutter, which is the most widespread and obvious speech disorder. They also work with those with articulation and rhythm problems and those who have a harsh voice or have speech quality problems. Other disorders which result in speech difficulties are hearing loss, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, or mental disability. It is the job of the speech therapist to establish a program of speech exercises to reduce the disability. 

Speech therapists are responsible for keeping meticulous records on the assessment and continued progress of their patients while developing and implementing an individual treatment plan that may be based on input from other professionals such as physicians, social workers, and psychologists. In fact, it is extremely important that speech therapists are able to work as a member of a team because many speech disorders are usually related to neurological, psychological, and physical conditions. Their treatment plan may require input from other healthcare specialists such as a neurologist or psychiatrist. Speech therapists also have to counsel and support individuals and families to deal with the stress that speech disorders can cause on the family unit. Therapists also work with families on home treatment methods and how to adjust behavior that will encourage communication. Therapists must continually monitor the progress of their patients, always seeking to use the most effective methods for success.