Speech Therapy Personal Statement

During my interview with Speech Pathologist, Deborah Kirsch, I learned countless details about the Speech Pathology career field. When we first began talking, I learned that Mrs. Kirsch works out of a company called “Professional Therapy Services”, where she is contracted out to work for “Eunice Smith Nursing Home” which is located in Alton, Illinois. She has been working at this facility for about a year. She is a newly found graduate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she graduated in May 2011. Another thing that I learned about Mrs. Kirsch is that she originally did not go to school to become a speech pathologist, this was a career that she found later in life. After she had graduated from SIUE, the first time with a bachelors in Psychiatry, she started working at a nursing home around this area. She came to know a Speech Pathologist that worked there and she quickly found the field very fascinating. She had always been driven to help others, and she witnessed some of the exercises being done with individuals at the nursing home and decided to go back to school to get her masters in Speech Pathology.

While I am learning an abundance of valuable information at Clarke, my background knowledge derived from my undergraduate studies. I double majored in Speech Pathology and Psychology at Brooklyn College because I believe they compliment each other well when it comes to the studies of speech. Different aspects of Psychology including cognitive science, neuroscience, and biology are essential in understanding speech disorders, language processing, production, acquisition, and comprehension. In my second year at Brooklyn College, I observed children at a nearby elementary school for 50 hours. During this time I observed how children at the kindergarten level interacted with each other. I shadowed the teacher in order to learn different teaching strategies that will be beneficial and applicable as a Speech Therapist.

Through speech pathology, people are reached and shown compassion who are typically considered outcasts in society. SLPs work with individuals who are struggling with various sets of problems and help to solve those problems through undivided attention and spirits of patience and willingness to aid people with speech, language, and mental impairments. I believe this would be a good career fit for me due to my heart for people and my teaching spirit. My mom’s perspective of me pursuing a career as an SLP is that it would be a good fit due to my kind and gentle spirit and conduciveness with working with struggling individuals. I also have an immediate family legacy of multiple speech pathologists that work in both the medical and educational fields which increases my knowledge and familiarity with the career. While I believe that speech pathology would ultimately be a good fit for me, I tend to struggle with patience, a key component of working as an SLP, which is a challenge that I would have to work to overcome in order fulfill my role as a speech pathologist.

Language is beautiful and wondrous phenomenon. Not only is it a crucial component in everyday communication, but it also accentuates the culture of those that speak it. As a student pursuing a career in speech-language pathology, the aspects of communication, such as language, are the pillars of my future profession and will be deeply embedded into my daily life. There are many reasons I have chosen this path, but my childhood friend, Jasmine, can be accredited with my finishing decision to become a speech-language pathologist. When I was in elementary school, Jasmine was one of my closest friends, but I did not always get to play with her at recess because she frequently had to see an audiologist, or go to speech therapy. Jasmine had a congenital

I am Samantha Peterson, as a child I was taught to be independent in my beliefs and to always follow my heart wherever it led me. I have always been one to go after what I want and never give up until my dreams are fulfilled. I plan to finish my associate degree at AB Tech and transfer to Western Carolina. I plan to graduate from Western Carolina with a master’s degree in speech pathology. Once I complete this phase in my life I hope to pursue my career and start a family of my own. To begin my career, I hope to still be employed at Mission Hospital, but as a speech pathologist rather than a medical assistant. As a speech pathologist I hope to make life changing improvements in people’s everyday lives that I cross paths with. While beginning

I have worked for the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS) for over three years as a Rehabilitation Service Associate. During that time I have been given the opportunity to work with the clients that we serve on a regular basis. However, the practicum experience provided me with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the rehabilitation process and what it means to work as a team with individuals to achieve goals. The practicum experience also gave me insight on the processes involved in providing individuals information and assistance in finding solutions to help overcome or work through challenges encountered on a daily basis.

I would like to begin by saying thank you to all of the therapists and technicians from Sunbelt Apopka for making me feel welcomed. Also I thank the therapists for allowing me to volunteer and observe this summer. Out of all the places I could have had my first shadowing experience I am so glad it took place at your facility. This opportunity allowed me to learn more in depth about careers in speech, physical, and occupational therapy. I now know that speech-language pathologists are not limited to treating only speech problems; they are capable of treating patients with swallowing complications as well. As you guys may know, I am still indecisive between pursuing a career in physical or occupational therapy. Volunteering however did help me to better understand their differences and similarities. Both physical and occupational therapy focus on working with patients with their body movements. More specifically, physical therapists provide services in helping patients in restoring functions and improving their physical mobility. While occupational therapists work with patients to improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. Based on my observation, all these rehabilitation professions serve an equal importance in the healing process of a patient.

As a speech pathologist came in and got my grandma to the point of where she had been prior to the stroke, it was amazing to watch. The speech language pathologist had so many skills that helped my grandmother better understand what was happening to her. At that time this is what I wanted to do. This is what I believed I wanted to put countless time, money, and love into. Just as I had discovered the word of Speech Language Pathology, South Dakota State University had officially ended their major speech

I accumulated over 100 observation hours in rehabilitation, pediatrics, and post surgery therapy. By interacting with a wide variety of people, these experiences further developed my interpersonal communication skills. From helping children to grasp a pencil, to aiding elder patients recovering from surgery, I understood how OT’s could benefit people of all ages and abilities across a lifespan. I learned hands on how the therapeutic use of everyday activities could help individuals live functional lives through the use of meaningful occupations. By working with individuals who face a challenge, I was able to show compassion and empathy when caring for others, which in turn gave me self-fulfillment in my own

Another reason for conducting the awareness campaigns is to increase the public's knowledge on Speech and Language Therapy. Ever since I applied for my major a big question mark was drown on people's faces when they heard what I majored in, it is still the case so far. Unfamiliarity with this vital domain is alarming and need to be tackled, which will have a huge impact on any community’s

Trey is four years old boy and an only child, his both parent are Jamaicans. His parents are married, but Trey’s father lives in Jamaica, he communicates with his father by Skype and Phone calls. Trey’s mother migrated from Jamaica Ten years ago. Trey and his mother lives with his grandmother. Trey’s mother works full-time as a social-worker, so he spends most of the time with his grandmother. The family economic status is equivalent to a middle class family. The family household is well equipped with technology devices to assist with homework when Trey moves onto the primary grades and beyond.

They are times I would sit and think of suicidal thoughts because I thought why God would let this happen to me. They are times I would feel alone and I would ask myself why lord? Why me??? Why can't I have a normal life? I finally decided to get help but it wasn't for long because I was informed this therapy was only for little kids. I never seem to give up on myself. Even when I didn't get the full therapy session, but somehow it gives me hope. The same hope that my therapist gives me in would like to do the same thing by majoring in speech pathology and Nursing. Whether its children's that have different speech impediment whether it is stuttering, lisps. I don't want any children's to feel alone just because they have difficulties expressing themselves. I believe that every child should be heard no matter what speech problem that you have. I want to make a change in children's life and let them know they are not

To be honest, I never knew of the term occupational therapy until a few years ago.  It was new to me as it was to many others who were unfamiliar to the word.  I briefly came across the discipline when I was volunteering my time at my mother’s preschool while in high school.  I spent my hours with young children, some living with disabilities.  Sometimes the students were being pulled out of the classroom for brief periods of time.  I was curious to know where they were going and was told some of the children were going to either physical, speech, or occupational therapy.  I was already familiar to physical and speech therapy, but I had no clue what occupational therapy was about.  That was the moment when I was introduced to occupational therapy.

Many times, I have been asked 'why speech pathology?' and I found myself answering with rehearsed responses such as, "I want to help people" or "I want to work with kids." However, as I have progressed through higher education, my answer has changed. I decided to pursue a career in speech-language pathology because I wanted to impact lives. Throughout my time at SUNY Buffalo State, I have had the opportunity to work with a range of clients.

“A little cat playing with yarn. ” It was a seemingly simple sentence. Yet the pride I felt when I heard it can’t be put into words. Eight weeks earlier I had arrived at a special needs center in the Mediterranean to intern with their speech department. One client I was to work with was a young girl with autism spectrum disorder who was responding to questions at a one to two word level.