Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

What do speech-language pathologists do?

• Help individuals with articulation disorders learn how to say speech sounds correctly
• Assist individuals with voice disorders develop proper control of the vocal and respiratory systems for correct voice production
• Assist individuals who stutter increase their fluency
• Help children with language disorders improve language comprehension and production (e.g., grammar, vocabulary, and conversation, and story-telling skills)
• Assist individuals with aphasia improve comprehension of speech and reading and production of spoken and written language
• Assist individuals with severe communication disorders with the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, including speech-generating devices (SGDs)
• Treat social and language disorders in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Help people with Swallowing disorders
• Help people with cognitive-communication disorders – the impairment of cognitive processes including attention, memory, abstract reasoning, awareness, and executive functions (e.g., self-monitoring, planning and problem solving).
• Auditory processing disorders – the inability to understand spoken language in the absence of a hearing problem.
• Accent modification and transgender voice modification for individuals without communication 
  

(Source: www.asha.org)

SLPs receive extensive training. They have to have at least a master's degree, must pass a Praxis exam, and they also put in clinical hours, where they work under a certified SLP to become a licensed and certified practitioner. If they work in a school setting, they will also need to obtain teacher certification in the state of practice.

• Employment of speech-language pathologists is projected to grow 18 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.
• The current shortage of SLPs has impacted both school and healthcare organizations.