Speech Therapy Personal Statement

Similar to her fine motor skills, this toddler has demonstrated that her language development is progressing at an appropriate pace. She may not have spoken too much, but when she did she was able to combine words into somewhat of a sentence. She was also able to listen to what the teacher said and repeat the word back to her. ((Toddler Developmental Milestones:

The topic for today’s reading was, Behavioral Language Assessment: Part 2 (VB-MAPP). In one of the assigned readings, Assessing Your Child, we read how most speech pathologists look at language as either expressive or receptive, and that talking is a learned behavior controlled by environmental variables such as motivation, reinforcement, and antecedent stimuli. As we talk, we receive some sort of acknowledgement for our speech and this is how language begins to take shape in typically developing babies. Speech pathologist call expressive language to what is known as the four primary verbal operant (the mand, tact, echoic, and interverbal), and receptive language to the nonverbal operant (imitation, and visual performance).

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.

When asked what I want to do with my life, my answer is simply to help others. Although this answer is one would expect to hear from just about anyone, I have always been encouraged by mentors and parents to do what I love. In my case, helping others brings me a great deal of satisfaction. The human body and how it is able to adapt has always been a fascination of mine, and from a young age I identified the health care field as an ideal fit for my interests in medicine, as well as my passion for helping others. With these two drives in mind, I found myself at the age of sixteen with a career goal in mind: Occupational Therapy.

I am writing to apply for the Master of Occupational Therapy Practice with Swinburne University of Technology. I initially studied Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Occupational Therapy Practice at La Trobe University from 2013-2017. I took an alternative exit to Bachelor of Health Science as I was excluded from the course due to failing the same subject/placement three times. Despite difficulties and failures, I am determined to strive and become a qualified and competent Occupational Therapist. I always want to become an Occupational Therapist since I was young.

When I came to SLU, I had trouble finding where I fit in. I tried club volleyball and Greek life, but I never felt that those places were where I belonged. Finally, I joined Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a service fraternity on campus, but I still was not as involved as I wanted to be. While APO taught me about the importance of leadership, friendship, and service, I knew I wanted to be involved in an organization that would support me professionally in my future career. Thus, when I started my junior year, I realized that the occupational therapy community at SLU was where I belonged, and Pi Theta Epsilon could provide me an opportunity to merge the two together.

OTCAS Personal Statement There is an anonymous quote I often encounter which states, "Find three hobbies you love: one to make you money, one to keep you in shape, and one to be creative. " I believe that people can have many hobbies and passions in life, but there are few things that constitute what our purpose is. I feel that when we can combine our passions into a career that also has a positive impact on humanity, we have found our purpose. I am not going to tell you that it has always been my dream to become an occupational therapist. For most of my school years, I did not know what profession I wanted to pursue.

As a recent graduate of the Family and Child Sciences program at Florida State University, I am committed to advancing my career opportunities on a graduate level of study in occupational therapy. I accomplished my initial goal of becoming a certified preschooler teacher and acquired a further understanding of the pediatric realm of occupational therapy based on my educational experiences. At this point in my life I have realized that the graduate program of occupational therapy is my path forward to becoming a professional pediatric occupational therapist. I believe occupational therapy is one of the most innovative and effective approaches in health care delivery in the medical field. I am fascinated by the thought of helping future patients deal with ailments and diseases with a primary care level. Occupational therapy, as a discipline is

I have always been attracted to the field of occupational therapy by the wide range of opportunities it encompasses. I am extremely interested in medicine and I wanted to work in a profession that would enable me to work with others. My dream has been to be in a health care profession where I could spend quality of life in all aspects. OT became the perfect fit. Occupational therapy is a profession that requires sensitivity, understanding, and compassion; all characteristics that I value tremendously.

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.

I want to apply information learned from classroom settings in clinical settings. This semester, I learned how to complete an occupational profile and occupational activity analysis. I can apply this information in the summer when I shadow a school-based or hospital setting to understand approaches used in intervention to implement evidence-based and client centered practice. In addition, I plan to review course information I struggled with from the academic school year that includes pathologies and neurological disorders. I plan to practice transfers, goineometry, and manual muscle testing on friends to improve my rapport as a therapist.

I have always wanted a career in which I can make a positive impact on people’s lives. The engaging, challenging and diverse nature of Occupational Therapy meets that need and would allow me to support individuals; enabling them to achieve their personal goals and ultimately gain independence. I want to study this exciting degree as it will equip me with the practical skills to become a confident, knowledgeable and innovative occupational therapist. I have visited Eastbourne Hospitals OT department to meet the therapists and see the range of environments and equipment used. I have also spoken directly with OT graduates and service users which has given me a deeper understanding of the scope and breadth of OT.

Giving to the world is a rewarding experience; my effort and dedication towards bettering the world reciprocates and molds me into a better person. Circle K International (CKI), a community service organization, grounded me and revitalized my sense of purpose when I was unfamiliar with the college dynamics and undecided on my career and academic goals. Fully embracing the club’s motto, “live to serve, love to serve,” I worked alongside fellow board members and led a large team of volunteers as the Single Service Co-Chair to create an affordable, but festive and educational Halloween night for children in Davis. Academically, I declared my major in Biological Sciences with an emphasis on Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and later double majored in Psychology after finding myself drawn to the human mind and its connection to behavior and action.

I have always known what “therapy” was. Ever since I was a child I knew it was something that had magical powers to heal people or make people feel better. “Occupational therapy” on the other hand, I have only gotten to know the term, and the science and profession behind the work 3 years ago when I chanced upon a volunteering opportunity – and I have never looked back since. Upon graduating highschool, I had a “stable degree” mindset, and had set my sights on becoming an engineer. I took up Chemical Engineering as it was a course that I felt would lead me to a stable, prestigious career; one that would make my family proud.

When I first considered occupational therapy, I was a sophomore in college sitting in my advisors office upset because I had no clue what I was doing with my life. I knew I wanted to be part of the medical field but couldn’t narrow it down any further. I had signed up for classes required for medical school, thinking those would cover my bases as I figured out what I actually wanted to do. My advisor and I were discussing my passion for helping people find ways to improve their lives and be independent. She kept encouraging me to look into occupational therapy because she thought it would be perfect for me.