A Look at Speech Pathology GHEC ASL By Katy Uttech

Job Requirements  Education  Master’s degree  Programs such as special education, rehabilitation therapies, and communication technologies.  Colleges  Over 249 college programs are accredited in audiology or speech-language pathology.  University of Nebraska, University of Virginia, James Madison University, Hampton University.

Job Requirements  Beyond College  hours of supervised clinical experience.  Passing score on national examination.  Nine months of postgraduate professional clinical experience.  State license is required.  36 states require continuing education. requirements for licensure renewal.

An Average Day  What they do  Assess and treat those with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.  Diagnose nature and extent of impairment by using written or oral tests and special instruments.  Perform some research related to speech and language problems.

The Pay  The average annual income is $52,410  Average for other health practitioners $57,240  Average for general medical hospitals $55,900  Average for Elementary and secondary schools $48,320 $48,320

Sign Language HHHHelps with Communication IIIIs not required to be a speech-language pathologist IIIIs oftentimes used to help with communication.

Interview (Education)  Where did you go to college?  I went to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln  What classes did you take for your degree?  In general our classes covered just about everything (i.e. articulation-phonology, language disorders, audiology, neurology, motor speech disorders, assistive technology, fluency disorders, voice, etc.  How many years of schooling did you need?  I needed a bachelor’s plus a masters.  Was it easy to find a job?  Yes, especially since I enjoy working with children with more severe disabillities.

Interview (The Job)  What is the average day like for your job?  An average day includes direct treatment, meetings, consultations with teachers, classroom observations, etc.  What does your job entail?  My job entails direct therapy in the areas of articulation, language, fluency, voice and assistive technology. I also complete the assessments in each of these areas, write the assessment reports, and coordinate IEP’s.

Interview (The Process)  What is the general process you use to find out why a person has a speech problem and how to correct it?  My team decides what assessment instruments would be appropriate. Then we complete the assessments. After that we meet as a team with parents to decide if there truly is an impairment, but sometimes your question as to the “WHY” may never quite be explained unless there is also a physical etiology. Treatment options vary from student to student depending on their disability and severity.

Sign Language Connection  How many people have speech problems because they are hearing impaired?  None on my current caseload.  Do you know Sign Language?  I am a little rusty, but I have used SEE in previous job sites.  Have you ever taught someone sign language to help students with communicating?  Yes! Some of my students with Downs Syndrome, severe articulation and/or language impairments, plus some of my students with severe physical/cognitive impairments have also bee n quite successful using sign for wants/needs.

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