Did you know that May is Better Hearing and Speech Month? An entire month dedicated to bringing awareness to communicative disorders, and the amazing work that Speech and Language Pathologists, Audiologists, Speech and Language Pathologist Assistants, and Audiologist Assistants are able to do every day. We might be a little biased here at SpeechBuilders, but this truly is one of the best and most rewarding fields to work in!

This year for Better Hearing and Speech Month, we wanted to give you a more in-depth look at what exactly Speech Therapists do, this incredibly broad field gives us all so many opportunities to find what type of rehabilitation and intervention we love the most.

What Exactly is a Speech Therapist?

Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs), often referred to as Speech Therapists, are licensed, masters level, medical professionals  who assess, diagnose, prevent, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in patients of all ages. Now that’s a mouthful! Let’s take a moment to break some of that jargon down to what it actually looks like on a daily basis for us:

• Speech disorders: when an individual has difficulties producing speech sounds correctly (articulation) or fluently (ex. stuttering), as well as any issues with an individual’s voice.
• Language disorders: can include difficulty understanding others and following directions (receptive language), expressing their wants, needs, and thoughts (expressive language). These deficits may not always be exclusive to spoken language, and oftentimes can manifest in difficulties with written expression and reading skills. 
• Social communication disorders: can include problems with interacting with others while asking questions or making comments, following rules for conversation and storytelling, and staying on topic. 
• Cognitive-communication disorders: oftentimes include difficulties paying attention, problem solvings, and organizing thoughts. 
• Swallowing disorders: such as difficulties feeding oneself or swallowing. These can often occur after a stroke or traumatic brain injury, however sometimes SLPs even work with babies and toddlers to overcome these difficulties.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg of what SLPs can do! We are also able to work with individuals who don’t have speech or language difficulties, but want to learn how to communicate more effectively, provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for individuals, and even provide services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

What Do Speech Therapists Do?

The scope of practice for Speech Therapists is huge, though oftentimes it gets watered down to articulation (the production of sounds) or working with Autistic children on social skills. While both of these are important pieces of what we do as Speech Therapists, it’s certainly not all we do. One of the best parts of being a Speech Therapist is the wide range of places you can work and types of therapy you can provide. From schools, to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and private practices, there is so much flexibility in where you can provide speech and language therapy.

On a daily basis here at SpeechBuilders, we take pride in being able to provide a comprehensive therapy experience for patients of all ages and abilities. To name just a few topics of intervention we work on every day: reading comprehension, auditory comprehension (listening and understanding), oral motor coordination, expressive language (increasing the amount of words your child is saying, imitating words and phrases), and receptive language (following directions). 

There is so much more to the wonderful field of speech and language therapy, so be sure to check out our social media to learn more fun facts this Better Hearing and Speech Month! All of our therapists are incredibly passionate about this field, so if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask us. 

Check out our website at www.speechbuilders.org for more information!