The areas that interest me the most in Speech Language Pathology practice are Autism and Down Syndrome with feeding and swallowing disorder. I believe both areas are evolving and are most common now days, calling for a great necessity in therapeutic services. Autism is a broad field, where as a future Speech Language Pathologist, I have a large scope to learn from and achieve professional goals in one discipline. A larger group in the Autism community is found in children furthermore, Autism is characterized to follow a child all his or her life and as adults with Autism, specifically those who are nonverbal may also benefit from Speech and Language treatment. This allows employment opportunities in both children and adult settings for future SLP’s. My experience as an Assistant Speech Language Pathologist, taught me a person with Autism is distinct from any other person with this disorder. Each individual has unique traits and features that distinguish one another, which involves thorough research for an individualized plan of care. It allows for a greater understanding of clients needs and SLP’s acquire knowledge in updated research. What I appreciate about …show more content…
Professionally, my major goal is to learn how to treat clients who face swallowing disorders. In my career, I view constant progress as essential. Therefore, I aim to grow under rigorous challenges that Speech Pathology requires. Although feeding and swallowing disorders appear in adults as well, I enjoy working with children and seek to experience these difficulties in children with Down Syndrome. My nephew with Down Syndrome deals with feeding and swallowing complications and is currently being fed through a tube placed on his stomach. He is only allowed to have liquids and has been a great trooper for many years. After graduate school it is my objective to assist him in swallowing
Watching my friends’ face quiver in disgust after recounting my experience of a videofluoroscopicy and my excitement from viewing the barium travel through the oropharyngeal and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, I realized I wanted to study the extraordinary field of Communication Sciences and Disorders. During my undergraduate career at East Carolina University, my anatomy and physiology class further fostered my enthusiasm for the field when discovering how intricate and complex it is for the human body to perform a simple task such as breathing and swallowing. I was able to utilize my thirst for knowledge of the human anatomy working in Dr. Perry’s Speech Imaging and Visualization Laboratory and enhance my writing skills by reviewing peer reviewed journal articles. Ultimately working and observing lab assistants create 3D anatomical models of the laryngeal mechanism, velopharyngeal mechanism, swallowing mechanism, skull and cranium,
Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.
As a child, I was faced with a lot of adversity. My grandmother raised my brothers and me. We lived on government assistance with little money and no car for transportation for extracurricular activities. The hardships we faced compelled me at a young age to stay in school, go to college, and make something of myself because I did not want to live a life limiting my dreams and opportunities. Throughout my academic career, there was not a specific moment that solidified my desire to pursue a profession in Speech- Language Pathology (SLP); instead, there were numerous. I initially became interested in this profession after learning how a child’s dysfluency was able to significantly improve. The gradual process of a client making substantial improvements
For my research I have chosen to discuss the key role of a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). Speech Language Pathologists can best be recognized as qualified practitioners that identify, diagnose and treat communicative disorders (Serpanos & Senzer, 2015). There are two types of disorders that a SLP can be used for: speech disorder and language disorder. A speech disorder can best be described as a person that has trouble producing sounds correctly or fluently. A language disorder is recognized as someone who has trouble expressing thoughts, feelings and ideas through speech. SLP’s are taught how to treat each pf these disorders.
The article I have chosen is titled Speech-Language Pathologist In Schools For The deaf. This article analyzes a survey taken of speech-language pathologist in schools for the hard of hearing across the United States. It talks about their caseload size, characteristics, delivery of service, and scope of practice. The results of this survey are compared to previous surveys taken in large and small school settings.
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.
One of these challenges is the communication concerns that the SLP might encounter. The diversity of these individuals and at times the SLP not being able to communicate quickly with the individual can impact how the SLP functions in a specific environment. Moreover, the increased training for the speech-language pathologist can become a challenge, due to there being diverse individuals an SLP must always continue their education courses and training to provide quality service. Additionally, some challenges include communication concerns and enhanced training for the speech-language
I have become particularly interested in this field due to its relative anonymity- most parents are unaware of both the capabilities of therapy and the importance of available care until it is their child who needs help. Speech Language Pathology is a rewarding field; its focus and expertise change children’s lives. However, the public school shortage often leaves parents with the responsibility of finding their own Speech Language Pathologist, a needless added burden for American
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.
Despite having numerous species roaming the Earth, infants and young children are more fascinated with human speech. There are certain characteristics in human speech that distinguish it from any other species found in Earth. Previous studies performed by speech language pathologists show that infants and young children are particularly fond of familiar voices, and are easily able to respond more quickly to them as opposed to strangers. Whether the adults realize it or not, they speak to their children differently than to an adult. The intonation and rhythm in the adult’s voice are usually different around young children, causing the adults to be able to get the children’s attention. Over the years, speech language pathologists have conducted
Speech Language Pathologist was not my first choice for a career path but my decision came after analyzing many factors in my life. Given that I was not longer able to fulfill m y dream of becoming a Pediatrician I had to venture on what other options were available. But one thing that was for sure was that it had to be within the medical field. On the condition that any career in the medical field involves caring for someone I can say that is why if decided to become a Speech Language Pathologist. Not only do I care for others but I also want to help them achieve healing or progress. Another major factor that aid me to choose this career path was that working in hospitals and clinics will expose my husband. Let me elaborate on that, mu husband
Based on the responsibilities and duties of speech-language pathologists, they require specific skills and expertise in language to enable them deliver to their clients effectively. First and foremost, they need good and strong interpersonal skills. Unlike other fields or professions, the relationship between pathologist and patients is quite significant. Teamwork and cooperation are, therefore, necessary. They both work together to ensure the speech problem is remediated. Ideally, interpersonal skills enable effective, clear and positive communication between the two thereby ensuring a strong partnership grows toward achieving a particular goal. Besides, strong interpersonal skills enhance
To combat the impact of fake news in my career, speech pathologists should give clients’ parents detailed information packets when they first come looking for a solution to their child’s speech problems. These would give parents a better understanding of our field (even if they already have their own opinions). Within these packets, there should be reference to credible websites about speech pathology for parents to utilize. When they read these, they can find if the website they had previously used for information was accurate. If not, the verified websites can aid my career in changing their opinions. Additionally, the field should instill in its employees the importance of remaining neutral and unbiased, as clients and their parents may have read negative or generalized “news” about speech pathologists. Neutrality ensures accurate diagnoses and treatment, which leads to satisfaction for both clients and parents. Although there will probably not be less fake news in the future, it is possible for speech-language pathologists to cut down on the impact it has on the
On the national and state level of speech-language pathology I plan to advocate and educate individuals regarding health, literacy and education. As a Latina, I would like to facilitate this information by translating it to families or individuals who speak English as their second language. Additionally, I plan to participate in the New York State Speech Language and Hearing Association (NYSSLHA) which assists the professionals with state legislation, state licensure, ethical practice, continuing education, and other relevant issues.
As a daughter of a Special Education teacher, my interest in populations with special needs was sparked at a young age. Though I’ve always been interested in health professions, I was indecisive on which field best suited me. However, I when I discovered Speech Language Pathology (SLP), I found what I was looking for. I desire to be an SLP because it will give me the freedom to work in a variety of locations and environments with many different populations while enjoying the luxury of a flexible schedule, a nice income, and possible self-employment. I am eager to learn in graduate school and am excited about being a future SLP.