It has been suggested that Speech-Language Pathology, Speech therapy, Phoniatrics be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Speech pathology, also termed speech-language pathology and speech & language therapy (SLT, mainly in the UK) is the study of disorders that affect a person's speech, language, cognition, voice disorders and swallowing disorders. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) address people's speech production, vocal production, swallowing difficulties and language needs through speech therapy in a variety of different contexts including schools, hospitals, and through private practice. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... // Scope of Practice The practice of speech-language pathology includes prevention, diagnosis, habilitation, and rehabilitation of communication, swallowing, or other upper aerodigestive disorders; elective modification of communication behaviors; and enhancement of communication. ... It has been suggested that Speech-Language Pathology, Speech pathology, Phoniatrics be merged into this article or section. ... Phoniatrics is the medical research and treatment of organs involved with speech production. ... Look up Speech in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that Speech-Language Pathology, Speech pathology, Phoniatrics be merged into this article or section. ... Students in Rome, Italy. ... A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ...

Education

In the UK, SLTs undertake a three to four year degree which qualifies them to work in any of the three main clinical areas. The course, which varies according to university, is a mixture of Linguistics, Psychology and Medical science amongst other disciplines. Students also undertake clinical placements in which their ability to practise is assessed. Upon qualifying they enter as a newly-qualified practitioner. The recommended career course is that they then achieve a number of competencies, which qualify them to work entirely autonomously, although in practice this is not tightly regulated. Linguistics is the scientific study of language. ... Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ... See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ...

In the United States, Speech Language Pathology practice is regulated by the laws of the individual states. However, by 2006, minimal requirement to be a certified SLP member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association [1] were: a graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology, which typically entails 2 years of post graduate work; a completed clinical fellowship year, which is generally employment for a year while supervised by a practicing SLP who is also ASHA certified; and passing the Praxis Series examination. The graduate degree work to acquire a Master's in Speech-Language Pathology is rigorous and demanding, requiring many hours of supervised clinical practica, and intensive didactic coursework in medical sciences, phonetics, linguistics, phonology, scientific methodology, and other subjects.

Certification by ASHA is noted as carrying one's "C"s. It is noted after an SLP's name as: CCC-SLP.

Main Branches of Speech & Language Therapy (UK)

In the UK SLTs choose one or a mixture of three main clinical areas to work in, these are with adults, children or adults with learning disabilities. Adult work mainly involves rehabilitation after a traumatic event, such as a stroke, which may leave the person with a disorder such as aphasia, dysarthria or dyspraxia. Work with children mainly involves attempting to bring the child's speech or language skills up to the level of their peers. Working with adults with learning disabilities mainly involves educating their direct staff in communicating with the person so that they can reach their communicative potential. Jobs often fall outside the remit of these categories including special education, working with physical disabilities and working with people with autism. Look up aphasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up dysarthria in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Dyspraxia Foundation describes developmental dyspraxia as an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. ... In broad terms, the phrase learning disability covers any of a range of conditions that affect a persons ability to learn new information. ...

If a person is planning on becoming a speech-language pathologist, it is wise to enroll in a graduate program. Graduate level schooling spands over the course of two Summer terms, two Fall semesters, and a Spring semester, so it is almost two additional years of education. Some of the classes required in the graduate sequence are Speech Science, Motor Speech Disorders, Orofacial Anomalies, and numerous terms of Clinical Externships. Any student that graduates college with a degree in Communication Disorders will be strongly advised to seek further education and receive his or her Master's Degree.

Methods of assessment

There are separate standardized assessment tools administered for infants, school-aged, adolescents and adults. Assessments primarily examine the form, content, understanding and use of language, as well as articulation, and phonology. Oral motor and swallowing assessments often require specialized training which includes the use of bedside examination tools and endoscopic/modified barium radiology procedures.

Individuals may be referred to an SLP for the following: Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Alzheimers disease and dementia, Cranial nerve damage, Progressive neurological conditions (Parkinson, ALS, etc, Developmental Delay, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Genetic disorders that adversely affect speech, language and/or cognitive development, Injuries due to complications at birth, Feeding and swallowing concerns, Craniofacial anamolies that adversely affect speech, language and/or cognitive development,and Augmentative Alternative Communication needs.

There are a myriad of Speech-Language Assessment tools used for chidren and adults, depending on the area of need.

Common tests used for children:

• Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool (CELF-Preschool) (Wiig, Secord and Semel, 1992)
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition (PPVT-III) (Dunn, Dunn, & Williams, 1997)

See also

• Aphasia
• Autism
• Chorditis
• Dysphagia
• Esophageal speech
• Human voice
• Language
• Lisp
• List of voice disorders
• Phoniatrics
• Selective mutism
• Speech
• Speech therapy See also
• Stutter
• Vocal loading
• Augmentative and alternative Communication
• Pragmatic Language
• Cognitive-Linguistic disorders
• Neurogenic Communication disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Stroke
• Apraxia
• Oral Motor disorders

Look up aphasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in delays of social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play, with onset prior to age 3 years, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. ... Chorditis is the inflammation of vocal cords (vocal folds) usually as a result of voice abuse but sometimes due to cancer. ... Dysphagia (, not to be confused with dysphasia) is a medical term defined as difficulty swallowing. It derives from the Greek root dys meaning difficulty or disordered, and phagia meaning to eat. It is a sensation that suggests difficulty in the passage of solids or liquids from the mouth to the... Esophageal speech (or voice) is an alternate method for speech production without the oscillation in the vocal folds. ... The human voice consists of sound made by a human using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, screaming. ... A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. ... Voice disorders are medical conditions affecting the production of speech. ... Phoniatrics is the medical research and treatment of organs involved with speech production. ... Selective mutism is a social anxiety condition, in which a person who is quite capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations. ... Look up Speech in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that Speech-Language Pathology, Speech pathology, Phoniatrics be merged into this article or section. ... Stuttering is a speech disorder in which pronunciation of the (usually) first letter or syllable of a word is repeated involuntarily. ... Vocal loading is the stress inflicted on the speech organs when speaking for long periods. ... Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to an area of research, clinical, and educational practice. ... Traumatic brain injury(like james mousdell) (TBI), traumatic injuries to the brain, also called intracranial injury, or simply head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes brain damage. ... A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA),[1] is an acute neurological injury in which the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted. ... Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned (familiar) movements, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements. ...

References

Wiig, E. H., Secord, W., & Semel, E. (1992). Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool. USA: The Psychological Corporation, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Dunn, L. M., Dunn, Leota, M., Dunn, & Williams, K. T. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition. Circle Pines, MN: AGS Publishing.

External links

• South African Speech Language Hearing Association
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
• Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. (UK)
• Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Directory Project
• Speech Language Pathology Web Sites
• Speech Pathology Australia
• Speech Therapy and Social Skills resources
• Friends of the Nuffield Speech and Language Unit: