Speech-Language Pathology Paper

The basis of language development theories revolves around the idea that, either nature or nurture are more influential than the other in the development of language in children. Language development as defined by, Menyuk, is the acquisition and growth of a societies chosen method of communication, which occurs due to a culmination of cognitive growth and environmental experiences (2005). Nature, is concerned with the biological makeup of an individual that influences their ability to acquire language including, genes and brain function, alternatively, nurture is environmental factors including, culture, family, and experiences (Fellows & Oakley, 2014). Nature and nurture both play vital yet highly diverse roles in the acquisition of language and its development. Analysis of the process of language acquisition will reveal that both nature and nurture are vital for successful language development of children.

Nature and nurture both play a significant role in language development. Language development refers to how children understand, organise, speak and use words in order to communicate at an effective, age-appropriate level (Karen Kearns, 2013, P.105). For centuries, theorists have been debating the roles of nature versus nurture. Although, each child’s language will develop at their own pace and there will be many individual differences based on culture, ethnicity, health and ability. As well as physical, social, emotional and cognitive development in which will contribute to a child’s language development.

Many people would like to make a difference, not only in their own life, but in others’ lives as well. Deepak Chopra once said, “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.” All of us, at one point in our lives, have to make the difficult decision of the goals we want to work towards. We all have certain goals, standards, and expectations of ourselves. Not everyone will figure out what they want to be right away, and some will know from the very beginning. My plan for my life is helping others through Speech Language

A phenomenon applicable to the vast field of Speech-Language Pathology, and the foundation of research now and in the future can all be attributed to, difference versus disorder. This concept considers the complexities of those served within the profession and highlights the range of possibilities displayed from an individual, that draws a fine line between a person being labeled as having a dialectal difference or a speech and/or language disorder. A difference can be defined as an alteration in an individual’s speech and/or language that can be attributed to internal and external factors such as race, culture, and the environment in which a person lives. In contrast, a disorder is an actual disability that interferes with a person’s speech

From being diagnosed at a young age with dyslexia and apraxia of the speech, I am not sure where I would be without the help and encouragement of my speech pathologists. ‘Speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients’ (Summary, www.bls.org, 2015). Along with helping their patients overcome or learn how to understand their disorders, speech pathologists must keep records.

Speech pathology focuses on aiding individuals who struggle with or cannot use their voice. Without a voice, individuals would not be able to communicate with one another face to face, or even talk on the phone. Within every field, controversy exists. In speech pathology, one such controversy is nonspeech oral motor exercises (NSOME), where a patient does different tasks involving their mouth or fingers. These exercises are believed to have no connection with actually assisting the speech pathological part of the brain, since they do not involve any sort of speech activity. Nonspeech oral motor exercises do not assist in the healing process of patients with actual disabilities, nor are they an efficient practice at a professional treatment center.

My goal is to maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher to keep my place in the speech-language pathology program. Marywood University was my first choice college and I couldn’t be happier that I’m here. I committed to come to Marywood because of the speech program, the atmosphere, the stress on service, and the importance of education. The reasons I can here parallel the Core Values of Marywood. They also put me on the right track to accomplish my own goals. I want to serve others, get an education, and become a welcoming friend to all who need one.

A fourth category of disorders treated by speech therapists is cognitive communication disorders, which involve thinking skills such as organizing thoughts, memory, attention, solving problems, and so on, and are often result of brain injury, or individuals can be born with them. Lastly, there are social communication disorders, which consist of issues with pragmatics (things like social cues, non-verbal communication, commenting, and so on) and can be caused by traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Nicole Patton Terry is an associate professor at Georgia State University in the departments of Education Psychology, Special Education, and Communication Disorders, as well as the director Georgia State University’s Urban Child Study Center. Dr. Terry received her masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with an emphasis on learning disabilities from Northwestern University, which houses one of the nations best Speech Language Pathology programs. The authors’ academic experience in the fields of language disorders and urban studies validates their knowledge of the topic. The authors support their claims with research outcomes and several accredited sources within the field of child language development. Springer Science publishes the article online in June of 2013. The audience of the article is researchers, clinicians, and students interested in the fields of child language development and urban child

I am a Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology and Deaf Studies combined major. Throughout middle and high school I was fortunate enough to be able to volunteer in elementary school classrooms. Many times, I worked in the second grade special education classrooms. This experience engrained in my mind what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My favorite part of volunteering was helping the children with special needs. Many of these children were isolated from their classmates as a result of what was described to me then as a disability. As I got to know a little bit about these children I saw more and more that the label "disabled" that society places upon these children was not applicable. Deafness is a difference, not a disability.

As seen, speech-language pathologists can be employed around the nation, and for that reason the salary of a speech-language can be based on the their background, experience, work setting and geographical location (The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1997-2016). According to the “Occupational Outlook Handbook” the average annual wage for speech-language pathologist in May 2015 was $73,410 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2015). At the same time, facts from May 2015 exhibited that speech pathologist in nursing and residential care facilities made around $27,000 more than a speech pathologist in state, local or private education services (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2015). Furthermore,

A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is a specialist who evaluates and treats patients or students with speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages, according to MedicineNet (MedicineNet). People of all ages can struggle with speaking whether it be articulating letters, stuttering or dyslexia. It is easiest to help correct these challenges at a younger age, but not impossible when you are older. Regardless of the age or the reason behind the treatment, the most important part is that the individual receives the therapy that is needed to help them reach their optimum ability in communication and speaking.

I choose the article “New Guidelines Assist Clinical Doctorate Programs in Speech-Language Pathology”. This articles states how ASHA is starting to have new guidelines for schools that offer clinical doctorate programs or is planning to offer them in the future. The guidelines are also intended for SLP graduates who want to enter management positions in the clinical setting. I found this article to be very important, because I feel as if speech pathology is sometimes not taken as seriously as it should be by other clinicians. However, on the other hand I feel like our fellow coworkers such as physical therapist, audiologist, and physicians are all taken very seriously. I believe this have something to do with the fact that these professionals all need doctoral or professional degrees for entrance in their professions. However, we do not.

From the moment we are born, our environment prepares us for this journey we call life. We learn to communicate both verbally and non-verbally. In my opinion and based on three studies, socioeconomic status, the child’s gender, the amount of language they hear from their caregivers, word mapping, and social intent all effect the child’s vocabulary size. According to Spencer, Clegg, & Stackhouse, “the links between socioeconomic disadvantage and early language development are well documented with reports of up to 50% of young children from areas of socioeconomic is advantage having language delay. According to Pasek, Golinkoff, and Hennon (2006), research states girls showed a quasi-linear positive gain in language across secondary school, while boys began with a decline and then accelerated.

“Phonological disorders in children can result from physical or organic causes or may be functional in nature ("Phonological disorders in," 2013)”. Children with a phonological disorder may experience a higher risk for reading and writing disabilities. “If left unresolved, phonological disorders have long-term consequences that may interfere with an individual's future social, academic, and vocational well-being, largely resulting from persistent, reduced intelligibility of speech ("Phonological disorders in," 2013).”