The Career of Speech Pathologists

Speech Pathologist


What do speech pathologists do? The work of speech pathologists involves the study, diagnosis as well as treatment of disorders that can occur related to speech.

 

The work of speech pathologists includes studying language problems, fluency, use of the voice, swallowing and other communication methods. The work of speech pathologists is to help people who are struggling with different speech disorders. The need for speech pathologists is felt in people who have speech problems due to:

  • Development delays
  • Brain injuries
  • Stroke
  • Mental retardation
  • Learning disabilities
  • Hearing loss
  • Cerebral palsy and other problems.

 

How Speech Pathologists Work

 

There can be different problems that people face related to speech. Often, people need the help of speech pathologists to overcome problems like stuttering, swallowing, speaking in a clear voice and other issues. All such problems make speech challenging and that is what speech pathologists seek to clear.

There are different tools that the speech pathologists use in order to help people overcome such problems. After using different assessment tools, the speech pathologists are able to diagnose the specific problems in their patients. Once the diagnosis is complete, the speech pathologists decide the plan for treatment. The treatment plan is drawn to suit the varying needs of the patients as per their assistance requirement.

 

Specialisations

 

Speech pathologists can work with adults or with children. Many speech pathologists work with children and are having problems with normal speech development. Many speech pathologists work with people with learning disabilities.