To Kill A Mockingbird: A Career As A Speech Language Pathologist

The participation model begins by identifying the participation patterns and communication needs where the clinician then identifies participation barriers (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013, p. 108). SLP’s are then taught to differentiate between assessing opportunity barriers and assessing access barriers in the concept that the working clinician evaluates policy, practice, facilitator skill, facilitator knowledge, attitude, and current communication (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013, p. 108). The client’s current communication assessment includes a full assessment of their possible potential to increase natural abilities, an assessment of potential environmental adaptations, and an assessment of the potential to utilize AAC systems or devices (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013, p. 108). Once there has been a thorough analysis the speech language pathologist should plan and implement interventions that will span across the present and the future with a follow up to determine how effective the intervention has been in advancing a client’s participation (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013, p.

Communications, Human Health management, and Human development are a list of the different majors I attempted to pursue in my undergraduate career. The uncertainty of a specific career option was the reason for my reluctance to pursue those fields. However, upon a lengthy and quite informational introduction to the Communicative Disorders program by one of my suitemates in the dorms during my sophomore year, she piqued my interest in the field. Upon extensive research and observations of the Speech Language Pathology field, I found the field to be a perfect medium between my desire to work with individuals from a diverse background all while incorporating my love for simply interacting with people. After not only completing, but passing the toughest introductory classes to the major, to my surprise,  I suddenly grew a strange passion for this field.

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 Pathologists work with a variety of clients with different demographics. Volunteering at Press on Youth Center has exposed me to youth from different backgrounds. Communication disorders can affect an adolescent’s emotional, social, and academic success in life. I noticed that students at the youth center had various articulation disorders, and behavioral issues that affected the

In a document entitled “Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology”, the professionals at the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) thoroughly explain the profession of speech language pathology and the extent of practice within speech-language pathology. The article includes the following information: purpose statement of the article, definition of speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology, objectives of speech-language pathology, and the practice and delivery domains. Information from each section is summarized below.

Therefore, to make my verbal communication and reading skills better, I have decided to seek speech pathology therapy. Being close to the University of Northern Iowa, I have decided to avail the services provided by the university's speech clinic. Since, the clinic charges for the services to their customers,

Understanding the functionality of each area of the brain leads to the explanation of characteristics in a disorder. Noting and identifying the localization of a lesion can facilitate in diagnosis. Therefore a Speech Clinician should be aware of these contributing factors to help implement an intervention that is practical for their

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.

A Speech pathologist provides remediations for varieties of disorders including articulation disorders, cognitive delays, swallowing problems, oral motor and oral feeding problems, auditory processing disorder, voice disorders, stuttering and fluency, receptive language delays and impairments, pragmatic disorders, expressive language delays, and social language use (Pritchard). Speech pathologists share the love of changing people’s lives and forming relationships with their different clients, along with their client’s families (Jennings). Speech pathology, an essential aspect out of all the different communication difficulties, comes with problems with literacy that relate to speech pathologists who specialize in this issue (Mercury). Speech

Regardless of whether the disorder is related to cognitive aspects of communication, fluency, articulation or swallowing, a speech-language pathologists’ relationship to the patient is rooted in service. After college I took a break from school and began working at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site through an internship position with a non-profit called Greening Youth Foundation. I enjoyed learning about the historical Old Fourth Ward and the legacy of this great American hero and revolutionary. Following this opportunity, I joined Americorps, a national service organization known for making positive impacts in local communities. My first term was spent with Hands On Atlanta and the Office of Mayor Kasim Reed. I reported directly to the Chief Service Officer, promoting the Mayor’s service initiatives and leading volunteer projects throughout the city. I worked with many individuals, groups and corporations to create successful beautification projects in impoverished areas, better reading skills in elementary school children, improve public recreational centers, and more. Upon completion of my service term, I was already signed up to start a new term as a Volunteer Manager with a local non-profit called Truly Living Well Center for Urban Agriculture. Truly Living Well is an urban farm with multiple locations throughout Atlanta that serve “food desserts”, or communities with restricted access to fresh, organic produce. In this role, I was able to make a long-lasting impact by creating and reshaping the organization’s new and existing volunteer programs. During those years I gained experience in every sector, from government to private, from corporate to nonprofit. I am proud to say that I was a part of implanting change that affects very important socio-economic causes. These experiences were life-changing, yet they all

On October 7, 2017, I shadowed a speech language pathologist at Trustpoint Rehabilitation Hospital. During this time, the therapist was working on the pediatric floor and was administering therapy to different patients every hour. The therapist treated a variety of patients with different needs and goals. Many of the patients had sustained an accidental injury that affected their daily living routines and quality of life.

My name is Tom Fletcher, I am a 23 year old graduate student with a bachelor’s degree in communications, and pursuing a master’s degree in Communications. While I spend most of my time working towards my degree, ironically, I have a speech disorder where i have a lisp. A speech disorder is a communication disorder that disrupts one’s speaking ability. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. These issues while seeming so small, “effect almost 3 million americans” (NIDCD 1) including myself and needs to be addressed with what a person dealing with this issue goes through and what there is to cure it.

Before we can discuss communication disorders, we must understand what communication is. Communication is what we use every day to exchange thoughts, messages or information to connect people and places. (Schindler, Ruoppolo & Barillari, 2010) If a disorder affects communication, that means there would be difficulty in connecting to the people and things around us. It could begin from a simple sound substitution to the inability to understand or use one’s native language. Now, I would like to discuss why communication disorders is important, who we can rely on and what it’s like to work with those who have communication disorders.

Communication disorders are non-discriminatory. They can affect any person or family at any time. I first became connected to Speech-Language Pathology when my cousin, who experienced a bilateral stroke at birth, was told she would never function on her own. With the help of her clinician’s continuous support, she has made remarkable strides. Many years later after my grandfather suffered heart failure and a tracheostomy, I observed how his SLP showed compassion and care in his rehabilitation and health. Seeing the positive impact these professionals had on my family, coupled with my drive to have my career revolve around helping others, fueled my desire to follow this path.

While at College of the Canyons, I attended a job fair. There, I met a woman named Dr. Fisher who was a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP). I remember listening to the passion in her voice as she described her career. Dr. Fisher discussed how she was able to help people communicate. I left the job fair with a new sense of purpose and excitement for this potential career. That night, I went home and did more research about the Communicative Disorder field. As I learned more about the field I made it my new ambition in life to become a Speech and Language Pathologist.