Benefits Of Speech-Language Pathology Services

Keaunna Knox has been a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) since 2007, and has worked ever since 2000 with children with special needs who had speech and language disorders. She began as an “Instructional/Speech Aide” at Pasadena Unified School District working with children with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities. All the students she worked with had speech and language disorders, and, since the Districts therapy was overloaded Keaunna implemented the communication goals she wrote. Based on that experience and many others, Keaunna decided to enroll at Cal State Los Angeles to pursue her professional career in teaching. She received her Master’s in Mild-Moderate Disabilities in Special Education from Cal State Los Angeles and a second

Surprisingly, I discovered that jobs for speech-language pathologists are projected to grow nationwide in the next few years. I found that there is a high demand for speech therapists, because of the increase of older people there will be more instances of certain health conditions, such as strokes and dementia, which can cause speech or language issues. The increased awareness of speech disorders in younger children and children with autism will also create more job opportunities for speech-language pathologists. The job outlook for speech-language pathologists is favorable in the years to come.

The scope of practice of speech-language pathology describes the ethical and clinical responsibility of clinicians to implement therapy techniques, which contains efficacy that is supported by evidence. Non-speech oral-motor exercises (NSOMEs), in particular have raised controversy among speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and researchers when treating children with articulation and phonological disorders. The use of NSOMEs is a debated issue in the profession due to the lack of evidence based practice (EBP), poor clinical assumptions, and the avoidance of meeting the client’s needs.

I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies at Western Michigan University. During this time, I accumulated over 260 clinical hours assessing and providing treatment to preschool and elementary-aged children with speech and language disorders. This has prepared me to be a qualified candidate for this position. At Richland

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.

Speech-language pathologists play a significant role in evaluation and intervention with English Language Learners. More and more SLPs are playing a teacher role in the academic environment. The role and responsibility of a speech-language pathologist is essential when identifying the most ethical and appropriate services to meet the individual needs of the student. However, evaluating ELL students can be challenging from a clinical standpoint and typically is complicated by many factors including, personal, institutional, and society interests. Many school based SLPs are not proficient in a second language and therefore are not adequately trained to provide nonbiased bilingual assessments. Current practices in speech-language pathology support the decision making process for the family and their priorities when identifying assessment and treatment options. Consideration for implementing strategies that will benefit the student most should not be overlooked.

Interprofessional collaboration is an important component in any health care. According to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics, Individuals shall uphold the dignity and autonomy of the professions, maintain collaborative and harmonious interprofessional and intraprofessional relationships, and accept the professions’ self-imposed standards (ASHA, 2016). With this in mind, it is our duty as future speech-language pathologist (SLPs) to adhere to this principle. Clinicians should utilize every resource available to assist his/her client. This even includes if the client needs a referral to a different specialist.

During my interview with Speech Pathologist, Deborah Kirsch, I learned countless details about the Speech Pathology career field. When we first began talking, I learned that Mrs. Kirsch works out of a company called “Professional Therapy Services”, where she is contracted out to work for “Eunice Smith Nursing Home” which is located in Alton, Illinois. She has been working at this facility for about a year. She is a newly found graduate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she graduated in May 2011. Another thing that I learned about Mrs. Kirsch is that she originally did not go to school to become a speech pathologist, this was a career that she found later in life. After she had graduated from SIUE, the first time with a bachelors in Psychiatry, she started working at a nursing home around this area. She came to know a Speech Pathologist that worked there and she quickly found the field very fascinating. She had always been driven to help others, and she witnessed some of the exercises being done with individuals at the nursing home and decided to go back to school to get her masters in Speech Pathology.

After practicing for over twenty years as a Speech Language Pathology Assistant, I have gained many skills and qualifications. I am a motivated self-starter, and licensed to practice in Idaho and Oregon. Working as an SLP-A has allowed me to be well versed in IDEA, and special education programs. My knowledge and proficiency have enabled me to perform therapy, follow directions, maintain daily notes, and assist with progress notes. I have been involved in various speech screenings in the schools. My experience is with a multitude of supervisors working with clients from pre-kindergarten to geriatric, both in group sessions and 1:1. In these sessions I have worked with to name a few articulation, fluency, expressive/receptive language,

In 1975, congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Kritzer, 2012, p. 53), which was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that mandates special education for children with disabilities. IDEA requires public schools to provide students with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE requires school districts to educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate supports to the maximum extent possible. The adoption and implementation of IDEA was a huge step towards educating all children with disabilities in the United States.

My mother, Ann Peterka, works for Early Childhood Intervention services of Tarrant County. She works with children from birth to three who have disabilities, teaching each child’s family members intervention techniques to help with the child’s development. I chose to interview my mom because of her impact on my major selection, and her career itself. In the future, I would love to be a speech therapist or a speech pathologist, this career was brought to my attention by my mom. In her field, she noticed that there weren’t enough speech therapists to help out with many caseloads that each worker has. While my mom is trained to notice speech impediments she has said that she is not quite qualified to give a diagnosis or treatment, and that’s where having a speech therapist consult would come in handy.

It wasn’t until I start going to speech classes that I felt comfortable going to school. I went to my speech classes three times a week, one on one up until I was in 4th grade and then I began going with a small group of children. Schmitt also states that “Descriptive studies of current SLP practices indicate that over 75% of children with LI in the public schools receive pull-out therapy, regardless of age or language need” (p.35). My mother said that the speech program at my elementary school was extremely awesome. She said that it took a team to help me overcome my speech problem because the speech classes didn’t stop at school. When I came home from school she would also work with me. My mother and speech teacher wanted the best for me and they both wanted to ensure that I had a bright future. Having a disability such as a speech impairment has shaped my life because it engages in every aspect of my life such as articulation, reading and

The clients that received the DAT training, 11 of them met their goal. One client did drop out of the DAT training because she felt it was not helping her. All of the clients in the MSI, ATC, and psychoeducational trainings all met their goals. The final percentage was that 83% of the clients met their goals. It was shown that each case should be reviewed and individualized for the client. Collaboration with the school, administrators and teachers would be very helpful in deciding which treatment would benefit each of the client's. Clinicians did collaborate with school staff making recommendations for the student’s accommodations if needed. Overall, this study showed positive outcomes as a speech-language pathologist delivers individualized treatments to the

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA), is a federal special education law and was signed into law in June 1997. The IDEA pledges that each child with a disability as well as students who need special education services has the right to a free proper public education, with the least restrictive environment. Below are the six components that are included in the IDEA. They include;

On Friday, March 31st I observed Northside Elementary School in the Brookville school district. I watched in a separate speech therapy classroom for students who also require special education. There was only one student who attended each session and the only professional in the classroom was the speech language pathologist, Miss. Haag.