What is a Speech Therapist?

A speech therapist or speech-language pathologist is someone who works with people who have difficulty speaking or swallowing. These health care professionals deal with a wide range of speech defects and disorders, from teaching someone with a cleft palate to speak after corrective surgery to helping people who suffer from stuttering disorders. Some work as private consultants, while others are associated with hospitals or health care groups. In general, employment outlooks in this field are quite good, and it is possible to find a reasonably well-paying position as a speech therapist in many regions of the world. Licensure requirements for speech therapists vary, depending on regional laws. Typically, a speech therapist must receive a graduate degree in the field, along with specialized training in working with patients. He or she may also be required to pass an exam which tests knowledge of speech pathology. Since regional requirements are so varied, if you are interested in ...  more

A Speech Therapist is also called a Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP). An SLP serves a very important role in your child's education. An SLP: • Brings your child closer to people by making her speech and language skills better. • Shows your child how to listen and understand when people talk. This helps her connect with the speaking world around her. • Helps your child learn to speak and communicate as best she can. Why is a speech therapist so important? An SLP helps your child improve her speech and language. This knowledge will help her succeed in school. Knowing and understanding the English language helps her to: • Understand what she reads. • Understand grammar and sentences. • Learn new words. • Learn how to understand when people communicate with her.  more

A trained medical professional that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of speech problems. A Speech Therapist may also work with any number of language or voice disorders, such as comprehension or pitch control for example. Every day therapists work with those who have difficulty with speaking for a variety of reasons, finding the root cause of the issue then developing and implementing a course of treatment.  more