What does Speech Pathologist do and Salary SLP Gets

Speech Pathologist deals with Communication disorders and Swallowing problems. It is also called SLP or Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist. It is a part of the allied healthcare team.

What does a Speech Pathologist Do?

SLPs evaluate, diagnose, and treat speech, language,

and swallowing disorder. They conduct Speech Therapy to treat their clients.

Let’s read a brief summary of disorders that they treat.

Communication disorders have various categories which include the following.

Speech Disorders

In this case, patients face difficulty in speech articulation or production. This results in the disruption of normal speech.

There are different components which are important to assess. These are as follows.

Respiration
Phonation
Resonance
Articulation
Fluency
Prosody: Rhythm, Stress, and Intonation
Voice

Few examples of these disorders are as follows.

Articulation Disorder and Phonological Disorder
Stammering and Cluttering
Voice Disorders e.g., Hoarseness, Puberponia, etc.
Apraxia of Speech or Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia
Dysarthria

Language Disorders

This category includes problems in expressing or understanding the language. It may include spoken or written language and graphics.

They affect different aspects of language. These are Syntax, Phonology, Morphology, Pragmatics, and Semantics.

These disorders include the following.

Aphasia
Development Language Disorder

Cognitive Aspect

Different cognitive processes play an important role in communication. That’s why SLP works on different aspects of cognition. These are as follows.

Memory
Problem-Solving
Attention
Comprehension
Reasoning
Awareness
Learning Disability

They include problems in which patients face difficulty in reading and writing. The following are the examples of this category.

Dysgraphia
Dyscalculia
Dyslexia

Swallowing Disorder is a difficulty in passing the food from mouth to stomach. This process includes sucking/biting, chewing, and swallowing food or liquid. We can also call it Dysphagia.

There are three types of dysphagia. These are oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal. SLPs deals with the first two types of swallowing disorders. While the third one needs other medical treatment.

These clinicians do not work with children only. Speech Therapy for adults also exists.

Speech Pathologist Job Description

The next thing to understand is the SLP job description. The role of a Speech-Language Pathologist is not just having a conversation with a client.

Their scope of work is way wider than people usually think. Job duties of an SLP include the following.

A comprehensive evaluation of speech, language or swallowing disorder.
Follow standardized procedures of evaluation.
Diagnosis of the disorder.
Creating a management plan according to the needs of a client.
Identify short term and long term goals.
Identify the right therapeutic approaches and tools.
Conduct Speech Therapy sessions.
Maintain a record of every client about assessment, session notes, progress, etc.
Reassessment after a particular time to track the progress of the therapy.
Change of treatment methods according to the need.
Counseling of the client’s emotional or psychological concerns.
Interaction with the client’s family to educate them. It is important to tell them about the disorder, therapy, cautions, etc.
Train the family or client for home-based tasks.
Coordination with other healthcare professionals in a particular case.
Refer clients to other medical professionals.
Maintain the physical environment of the therapy room which is helpful in learning.
Use of a variety of tools used in therapy.
Communication with other departments about the role of an SLP.
Maintain proper schedules of different client’s sessions.
Check for billing of clients.
Knowledge of hygiene precautions in the clinical environment.

Speech Pathologist Requirements

Criteria for SLP jobs may be a little different for different locations. But basic requirements are similar.

One must have a Master’s in Speech Pathology from an accredited university.
Some countries may offer SLP jobs after the bachelor’s program.
You should have a license or certificate from a relevant authority.
For schools, a teaching certificate from the state department.
Excellent knowledge about related disorders and command on practical work.
Some positions may demand work experience in the relevant department.
Command on the local language.
Great communication skills including both speaking and writing.
You must have strong interpersonal skills and flexibility for teamwork.
Candidates must have adequate hearing and vision to execute the duties.

Speech Pathologist Salary

The annual salary of a Speech and Language Pathologist is $78,000 in the United States of America. Some sources state that it ranges from $60,000 to $90,000 per year.

The starting salary ranges from $41,000 and $70,000. Those who are working on an hourly basis earn $51 (average).

Here are some examples of Speech Pathologist salary by state.

States like California, New York,
Maryland pays a great amount.
For 2018, the median salary (annual) in New York City (NYC) was $82,000 for the clinician working in schools.
For California and Maryland, it was more than $85,000 and $75,000.

Don't miss these facts.

SLP salary in hospitals or other health care services is higher than in schools.

Administrators and supervisors get bigger paychecks.

Payslip tells that experience does matter. Experienced staff earns more than newbies.

Clinicians in urban areas earn more than those who work in suburban or rural regions.

The annual income of Speech and Language Pathologist few other countries are as follows.

$62,000 in Australia
$72,000 in Canada
£33,000 in the United Kingdom
$46,000 in Sweden
R226,000 in South Africa
AED 162,000 in the United Arab Emirates

We have taken this data from different credible resources. You can search more about it for detailed figures.

Read More: Childhood Apraxia of Speech

How to Become a Speech Pathologist

To become a professional, you need to have a Speech Pathologist degree and license. Let’s talk about the Speech Therapist Education first.

A lot of universities are offering bachelor’s and master’s programs. Students with a bachelor’s degree go for Masters in Speech Pathology.

It is important to know the prerequisites of Speech Pathology degree. Different universities may have different criteria.

Universities may require a Speech Pathology bachelor’s degree for Graduate program. It takes two years to complete a master’s degree. Some institutes are also offering Doctoral program.

Various institutes offer a Speech Pathology degree online. These institutions use various mediums to teach their students online. Some of them offer live classes, mobile applications, and field placements. Technology is helping to ensure better learning.

300+ institutions are offering the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program in the USA. It includes both Graduate and Undergraduate Speech therapy degree.

Major Subjects of the course include Linguistics, Development of speech & language, the introduction of communication & swallowing and Management of disorders.

Students need to complete clinical experience under the supervision of certified SLPs. This includes 25 observation hours and practical of 375 hours. Students also need to pass the Praxis Exam. They have to complete CFY SLP (Clinical Fellowship Year).

Most noteworthy, you need to have a Speech therapy license for clinical practice. Different countries may have different requirements. In the US, you should have a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP).

Those who want to work in Schools may require a teaching certificate. You can consult the Government Education Department for this purpose.

Different countries have different requirements for employment. It is important to ensure them before pursuing the field.

In the United States of America, Clinicians must have a master’s degree in Speech Pathology. It should have accreditation from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).

One must have great theoretical and practical training to excel in the field. You must also have some soft skills. These can also help to make a good Speech Pathologist. These include communication skills, time management, etc.

Speech Pathologist vs Speech Therapist: There is no difference in both. Later one is a layman term.

Conclusion

I hope you got the answer to what is "Speech Pathologist". They are as important as any other healthcare professional. Also, Speech Therapy career is not less than any other field.

Read More: Find Speech Pathologist Near You

The growth rate in employment is more than 15% as compared to others. You can work in hospitals, schools, rehab, and universities. According to the stats, we can have 145,100 speech pathology jobs during 2016-2026.

We wish you the best of luck if you are looking forward to joining any program. If you are giving Speech and Language Pathology services, we are proud of you.

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