All things Communication

All things Communication

What does a Speech-Language Pathologist do?


This is a question that I hear a lot.  Most people are familiar with the “speech” portion, and many have told me they used to see a speech therapist when they were younger.  There are a number of areas that encompass the work that Speech-Language Pathologists are capable of in order to help their clients meet their communication goals.  Since I work with children, these areas are geared towards the younger population.  It’s important to know that other Speech-Language Pathologists who work with the adult population may also cover other areas such as neurological problems or disorders associated with dementia or strokes.

Speech:  An SLP may work with children who are difficult for others to understand.  This may include articulation, phonology and motor speech disorders.

Language:  An SLP may work with children who have delayed vocabulary and grammar skills, and have difficulty understanding language and/or following directions.

Literacy:  An SLP may work with children to build strong pre-literacy and literacy skills such as sound/phonological awareness and listening/reading comprehension.

Social Language/Skills: An SLP may work with children to help develop social language and social skills such as turn-taking, eye-contact, cooperative play skills, as well as following the rules of conversational speaking and story-telling.

Fluency:  An SLP may work with children who stutter.

Other:  An SLP may also work with children who have communication and swallowing difficulties due to other problems.  These issues may include brain injuries, hearing impairment, and other disabilities such as autism.


For more information:

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):
http://www.asha.org/public/

Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC):
http://www.sac-oac.ca/public/children 

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