As an eight year old student, I entered the annual science fair at school. The subject I chose to observe and research for my project was the human vocal chords. Collectively, my mom, a speech pathologist, and I sat down and watched videos that she had of her own vocal chords being activated and used for communication through speech and language. I was intrigued by the way that they worked and the way they were used to enable communication. My mom taught me about her work as a speech pathologist and how she had studied the vocal chords specifically to help her with the ability to train others who had speech and language impairments and communication disabilities. It was through my research and careful observation of the way that the vocal …show more content…
This occurs due to diminished mental capacity, structural abnormalities such as unrepaired cleft palates, or lack of commitment on the part of the patient. An additional challenge sometimes faced by a school based SLP is dealing with difficult parents and rigid and sometimes unrealistic district expectations. However, despite the challenges faced by speech pathologists, the field of study continues to grow with an expectation of a 21% increase by 2024 (“Speech-Language Pathologists”). While jobs as an SLP are readily available nationwide in a variety of different settings, the key areas of growth in the field are in the states of Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, New York, and Ohio (“Best”). The growth of the field is due largely in part to people’s increased awareness of the benefits of treatment by a speech pathologist. SLPs provide treatments which allow individuals to function better in daily life. For example, SLPs in the education field provide techniques and strategies to help students function better both in the classroom and socially. SLPs in the medical field provide support in regaining the ability to accomplish daily tasks, safely ingest solid foods, and interact socially with family and …show more content…
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. The career of speech pathology offers many opportunities in a variety of different settings. For those who are willing to tackle the challenge of advanced education and have a passion for working with others, speech pathology could be a great career choice. Through my individual research and interaction with other Speech Pathologists,
The second limitation that Speech-Language Pathologists deal with when working with families is educating families. Janice Swanson, a Speech-Language Pathologist in Lincoln, NE, works with families both in a research setting through the University and also a healthcare setting through Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. Swanson says that she engages families in their child’s therapy by educating them. She said that she provides them with strategies that they can use at home to continue to make improvements when they can’t be seen by the Speech Pathologist (personal communication, February 3, 2017). “Family members know the characteristics of their member with a language disorder more intimately than anyone else and come to share this insight with
My intensive Speech Language Pathology coursework at California State University- Fresno has provided me with the skills to implement treatment plans, assist during speech and language assessments, and keep formal documentation of client’s progress in speech therapy. These are the necessary skills required to be an effective Speech Language Pathology Assistant and will make me as asset to have in the school speech setting.
Through each session I target each students needs through daily lesson plans created from the goals assigned by the licensed speech pathologist. I feel it is important to build a strong relationship that has a powerful effect on the students therapy progress, so I attempt to put myself in my students' shoes. It is important that I am compassionate, empathetic, and supportive to their needs. There is a quote by BJ Gallagher that states: “The land of opportunity is an attitude. It is an openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow, and the flexibility to change.” This quote reminds me why I love this career.
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
Good interpersonal skills, the ability to take another person's perspective, and problem solving are crucial characteristics for a speech language pathologist. An article from the Journal of Nursing Education titled, “The Teaching Effectiveness of Standardized Patience,” demonstrated that interpersonal skills have overwhelmingly “positive, creative and meaningful results” in clinical environments (Becker, 2006). I am a powerful and positive Puerto Rican woman who is direct, uses I-statements, and possesses the characteristics needed for a speech language pathologist. I have always been quite comfortable with complex group dynamics, conflict management, collaboration, and all the varying degrees of human interaction. I have witnessed and experienced birth, death, trauma and joy throughout my college and post college career.
Dawn Aultman, now a speech-language pathologists (SLP) in the healthcare field, always knew she had a passion for helping others overcome speech impairments. Dawn has personal experiences with seeing family members struggle with speech and became a pathologist in the education field. In this work, students were Mrs. Dawns main priority and then she moved to healthcare. Moving to the healthcare field, Mrs. Aultman expressed the benefits she gained resulting in numerous dissatisfaction for a school pathologist. The education field has factors in the work environment that hinders the turnover rate of pathologists. According to a study posted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on SLP workforce and work conditions, workload/high
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.
The charge of this committee was to make recommendations regarding the programs mission, vision, strategic initiatives, curricular changes and/or adjustments. Additionally, the SPC identifies critical strategic issues facing the program and provides recommendations of alternative strategic options. Even though, we all must remain current with trends in the profession, advances in evidence-based practices, and the needs of all stakeholders of speech-language pathology, it falls to the SPC to provide recommendations relative to those market trends, the needs of the community program and making the program more viable and competitive than it is presently. Therefore, the SPC is mandated to develop measureable strategic goals for development and implementation for five-year interim periods. In the beginning of the academic year, the SPC met with faculty and staff to review the current strategic plan and to map out potential changes and future goals that the SPC will formulate. As a former SLP program director, I am well familiar with past goals of the program (since I drafted them), including curricular changes, teaching and employment needs as well as needs of the students as they progress through their matriculation. Additionally, as a former program director I managed the elimination of the undergraduate division of the program and wrote a monograph recommending a doctoral program in speech-language pathology to be created once the university forms an infrastructure to accommodate such a program. As always, the strategic plan is student-driven. Those goals that ensure students are ready to take the board examination (PRAXIS), are ready for employment and patient engagement are the primary concerns of the SCP. As a former coordinator/program director and current associate professor, researcher and clinical consultant, student needs are considered
I plan on pursuing a career as a speech-language pathologist (SLP). As a speech language pathologist, I would be assessing, diagnosing, treating, and helping to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients. As a result for my passion to work with children, I became highly interested in psychology and child advocacy. I believe all three fields are interrelated because they share a common interest to understand the basic needs of a child. In addition, these fields help assess the influence of family and other social contexts on children’s’ socio-emotional adjustment, cognitive development, behavioral adaptation and health status. One of the reasons, I decided to pursue a career involving advocating for children, is because children always fascinated me. One of my inspirations is my younger cousin who suffers from hypotonia, which is a poor-muscle tone disorder. Therefore, it affects muscle strength, motor nerves and the brain. As he got older, he needed a SLP to help with the muscles associated with articulation. Before then, I didn’t know much about speech pathology, but I can appreciate the career because I saw how speech therapy helped my cousin. In a professional experience, I am currently volunteering in the Alder Aphasia center in West Orange, helping individuals with aphasia, practice speech therapy. As a result for volunteering, I plan to become a member of the NJ SHA multicultural committee advocating for children and
Sheridan Obrochta is a first year graduate student in the Master’s of Speech Language Pathology program here at Florida State. I met Sheridan two years ago when we started the CSD major together. However, I am one year younger than her so I chose to graduate a year later. Even though I knew that Sheridan chose to go down the Speech Pathology path while I am choosing Audiology, I thought it would be useful to interview a graduate student nonetheless. There may be similar settings, similar collaborations, and similar obstacles that we as graduate students will experience together.
After shadowing a school-based speech-language pathologist, I instantly fell in love with the career. I was accepted into the University of Central Oklahoma speech-language pathology program, and began taking classes in the fall of 2016. From my first day in class, I wanted to absorb as much information as possible. I want to learn as much as I can so I may be the best clinician I can be upon graduation.
Speech-language pathologists need to be compassionate with all of their clients and their caregivers. A patient who stutters may not only have a hard time with their speech but a hard time in school, too, due to bullying. The parents of an autistic child may be stressed because, in addition to having to take their child to various appointments throughout the week, they have marital problems. After some experience in the field, one realizes that it’s not
For Speech and Language Pathologists, there exists a myriad of roles and responsibilities to be met, as it is stated by ASHA, they work to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat speech and/or language difficulties. But cognitive communication is also included, as well as swallowing disorders in both children and adults. From the list of Reflection Tool Summary; I have chosen one option from each of the four areas that I found most appealing to me.
I was first inspired in obtaining a career in communications disorders during my second year of college. While enrolled in an introductory course, I researched the different options that the discipline of Communications Disorders has to offer to those affected by communication impairments, and came across the profession of Speech Pathology. I became fascinated by what the job of a SLP entails. Never before had I realized what an important job SLPs hold; not only is their job essential in helping individuals to better communicate with others, but they can also save lives as they help protect the airway passage of premature babies, and make feeding a safe and positive experience. I admire their role in society, and can only
There are many requirements that involve education and training, as well as personal requirements and aptitude. To be a Speech Language Pathologist, one must have a sincere interest in helping people, sensitivity, resourcefulness, and imagination. One must also be able to communicate orally and in writing. Michigan Works, an agency that assists with employment, posts jobs that display education and background requirements for obtaining a job as a Speech Language Pathologist. Some requirements include a master’s degree from a speech and hearing program certified by the ASHA, American Speech and Hearing Association, post-certification experience in an institutional setting. Home health experience is also desirable. One must graduate from high school and pass courses in biology, physics, social sciences, English, mathematics, public speaking, language, and psychology. Undergraduate courses should include a strong Arts/Science focus, linguistics, phonetics, anatomy, psychology, human development, biology, physiology, math, physical science, semantics, and social/behavioral science. To be an applicant for an SLP position, a graduate degree is required and also three hundred to three hundred seventy-five hours of clinical experience. Applicants have to pass