Why I Became a Speech Pathologist Essay

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

I am Samantha Peterson, as a child I was taught to be independent in my beliefs and to always follow my heart wherever it led me. I have always been one to go after what I want and never give up until my dreams are fulfilled. I plan to finish my associate degree at AB Tech and transfer to Western Carolina. I plan to graduate from Western Carolina with a master’s degree in speech pathology. Once I complete this phase in my life I hope to pursue my career and start a family of my own. To begin my career, I hope to still be employed at Mission Hospital, but as a speech pathologist rather than a medical assistant. As a speech pathologist I hope to make life changing improvements in people’s everyday lives that I cross paths with. While beginning

As mentioned, I noted that Jason uses behavioral, and social interactionist approach in his work. There is also a cognitive aspect as well. The behavioral approach deals in the realm of unlearning to learning a new behavior, cognitive deals in the realm of memory, how one learns and process, and social deals in the realm of culture and social with the interaction with adults. A Speech Language Pathologist encompasses many roles, and has to be agile in all approaches to meet the needs of a diverse clientele. There is no one size fit all

Personal Statement My aspiration to become a speech pathologist is the culmination of a life-long interest in science and the human voice. As a sophomore in college I became serious about acting and musical theater and was recruited into the state reparatory acting program at Cal State Fullerton. At Cal State, I continued singing and playing lead parts in productions. I found a particular affinity for manipulating my voice for theatrical dialects, and developing optimal vocal support and projection on stage.

In this position he or she is adherent to assessment, endowment, reestablishment, advocate and prevention services for individuals with a nature of language impairment, intonation, dialect, cognitive-communicative or a swallowing disarray. Communications may be expressed verbal or nonverbal and combines with listening, vocalizing, use sign language, reading, and writing in all domains of communication (Glover, McCormack & Smith, 2015). The qualified person who administers the particular services is called a speech therapist, speech-pathologist, speech-language therapists or speech clinician. However, he or she comply with advocacy, fact-finding, program codification and directing, oversighting, product advancement and valuation, including dialogue with families, caretaker, instructors, other rehabilitation specialist, administrators, health professionals and others like other careers in the Human Service or Case management field.

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.

I chose this topic because I’m interested in studying speech language pathology or audiology in college and I don’t know much about it, so I wanted to take this opportunity to learn as much as I could about this subject. “Speech Pathologists require significant formal education”. “..Sometimes called speech therapists, assess, diagnose, treat and help to prevent disorders related to speech”. I also chose this topic because my cousin is hard of hearing, which caused her to have learning disabilities and fall behind in school but she took speech therapy to help improve her interactions with people and to help her get further in her educational career. She also uses American Sign Language and she now attends The School for the Deaf

“‘Atticus, he was real nice….’… ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.’” is a dialogue written by Harper Lee that stuck with me after reading To Kill A Mockingbird in high school. Despite physical appearance or intellect, everyone deserves to be valued at their core; what better way to affirm someone than by conversing with them as Scout did with Boo Radley. Thus, my aspiration is to enable a voice to those with communication disorders. This desire to be a speech language pathologist has been influenced by personal and professional exposures to the field.

In 2006 it had been estimated that around 19% of Speech-Language Pathologist’s caseloads are comprised of geriatric clients with communication disorders (Zraick, Gregg, & Whitehouse, 2006). Due to the influx of the baby boomer generation reaching old age within recent years, this percentage is sure to have increased. It is imperative that Speech-Language Pathologists become highly familiar with the aging process as it relates to speech production for both healthy and disordered speakers. Strong knowledge of this area will enable a Speech-Language Pathologist to determine if the changes a client undergoes are the result of the normal course of aging, or if they are indicative of a disorder. Aging effects various aspects of speech and all

The student writing this personal statement will not be the same student a week, month or year from now. This is due to my commitment to continual personal and professional growth and development. This commitment to life long learning, as well as my passion for helping people, is the why behind every single one of my waking moments. I look forward to a career in Speech Language Pathology because the profession is constantly evolving and there is always more to learn. I look forward to staying current and developing mentoring relationships within the profession, as well as developing strong bonds within the community.

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

After my first year of college, I was preparing for a long awaited double jaw surgery for the underbite I had since I was 8 years old. One of the steps I had to follow prior to the surgery was visiting a speech language pathologist. During the session, the SLP took baseline data of my speech with an underbite since many jaw surgery patients must follow up with speech therapy after surgery due to their transformed jaw placement. From calculating my s/z ratio to observing my conversational speech, each exercise I did fascinated me. This day opened my eyes to speech pathology and the importance of effective communication.

I have never had a family member who was a speech pathologist nor did any of my family members have speech problems. There isn’t an exact moment that have occurred in my life that made me want to become a speech pathologist. Instead, there are numerous reasons why I believe this profession is right for me. What initially made this profession stand out to me was the fact that a child is able to transition from stuttering every few words in everyday conversation to speaking several sentences at a time without stuttering, it’s astonishing to me. This incredible achievement was due to them attending therapy sessions and learning different strategies/methods to control it. The gradual process of a client making significant improvements with their

I remember feeling so nervous and anxious as it would be my first time observing a speech-language-pathologist clinician performing therapy, experiencing that hands-on experience. As I sat down in my car I could not stop thinking about the various emotions I was feeling at that time. Finally, it was time for me to get going. Well, let’s recognize that the speech clinic was easy to find among the all the other service clinics offered by Magnolia’s multi-center building, a huge University of Houston sign was resting in the middle of the hallway. As I entered the room is was exactly how pictured it, mini classroom feeling with very minimal wall decorations. There was a small filing cabinet on of posterior left side of the room. As soon as walked in you were greeted by the speech-language pathologist, who was sitting on her desk resting in on the anterior left side of the room. There were also two different size tables in the room, one was the children’s table with four available seats and the adult table with four seats as well. As for the setting, it was clean and approachable. The classroom decorations were minimal, there not too much

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