What
Is A Communication Disorder?
Who
Is A Speech-Language Pathologist?
Where
Does A Speech-Language Pathologist Work?
Who
Is An Audiologist?
Where
Does An Audiologist Work?
For more information about specific disorders and organization, please visit our Links web page.
WHAT
IS A COMMUNICATION DISORDER?
Speaking, hearing, and understanding
the spoken word provide the foundation for typical human communication.
An impairment in one or more of these areas may interfere with a person's
ability to be successful in school, to interact socially, to become employed,
to be well-adjusted, and to reach one's full potential. conditions
which interfere with communication may be present at birth or may occur
at some point later in life. Many conditions may be temporary:
others are permanent. communication disorders range from mild problems,
which may be easily remediated, to severe problems, which may require an
alternative way to communicate (such as using sign language or using computerized
or other devices).
Nearly 10 million Americans,
or 1 out of every 20 persons, have this type of disability. This
number is expected to increase over the next several years as a result
of the growing number of people in the older and preschool age groups.
Between now and the year 2050, according to the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (or ASHA, the national professional
organization of the Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists), the
number of persons with speech and /or hearing impairments will increase
at a faster rate than the general population will increase for that time
period. This is even more impressive when we take into account the
shortage of Speech-Language Pathologists, both in Kentucky and nationwide.
Yet the U.S. Department of Labor lists this field as one of the fastest
growing in the country.
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WHO
IS A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST?
A Speech-Language Pathologist
is a professional with a master's (or doctoral) degree in this field of
study and having state and/or national (ASHA) certification. The
Speech-Language Pathologist is trained in the study of human communication,
its normal development, and its disorders. This professional may
also be called an "SLP", a "Speech-Language Clinician," or a "Speech Therapist.".
The Speech-Language Pathologist evaluates the speech and language skills
of persons ranging in age from infancy to geriatric. Based upon that
evaluation, this professional will determine if a communication disorder
exists and, if so, plans and implements a
treatment (or therapy) program to remediate the disorder. Typical
disorders include: articulation (difficulty in pronouncing speech sounds);
phonation (problems in pitch, loudness, and quality of the voice or even
the inability to vocalize); fluency (stuttering and other difficulties
with the rate or rhythm of speaking); and language (problems in vocabulary
development, syntax, semantics, information processing, and use of language
rules). Sometimes these disorders may be associated with such conditions
as: aphasia resulting from a stroke or other injury to the brain: cleft
lip/palate (or other facial defect): mental retardation; developmental
delays; deafness; learning disabilities; cancer of the larynx; or neuromuscular
disorders such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson's Disease, ALS, MS, or MD.
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WHERE
DOES A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST WORK?
Many Speech-Language Pathologists
work in school systems. Others work in settings such as: community
hospitals, residential facilities, private practices, clinics, US Military
Services, Head Start programs, Job Corps centers, rehabilitation centers,
university training programs, and some business corporations. To
be employed, requirements typically include a master's degree and ASHA
certification. A state license may be required in states (such as
Kentucky) which have a licensure law. A certificate issued by the
state's Department of Education is usually required for Speech-Language
Pathologists employed in the public schools. Just as in most occupations,
salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists will vary depending upon the
setting in which they are employed.
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WHO
IS AN AUDIOLOGIST?
"An audiologist is the professional
who specializes in evaluating and treating people with hearing loss.
Audiologists have extensive training and skills to evaluate the hearing
of adults, infants and children of all ages. Audiologists conduct
a wide variety of tests to determine the exact nature of an individual's
hearing problem. Audiologists present a variety of treatment options
to patients with hearing impairment. Audiologists dispense and fit
hearing aids, administer tests of balance to evaluate dizziness, and provide
hearing and balance rehabilitation training. Audiologists refer patients
to physicians when the hearing problem needs medical or surgical evaluation."
*
*from the American Academy
of Audiology
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WHERE
DOES AN AUDIOLOGIST WORK?
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Department
of Special Education
College
of Education
Eastern
Kentucky University
Maintained by Meg Adkins
Last update:
September 2005