speech language pathology

speech language pathology

Speech Language Pathology

1. Introduction to Speech Language Pathology

There are many reasons someone may seek the help of a speech language pathologist. Speech language pathologists work in many diverse settings to help a vast array of individuals. Some work in schools with children. Schools are often the most common place for a child to be issued a speech language pathology appointment. This is often because a teacher or a doctor has noticed that a child is having difficulty understanding or forming words. Others work in hospitals and medical centers, usually with those who have suffered a stroke, head injury, or other brain-related trauma. Many pathologists work with the elderly in the treatment of swallowing disorders, which are prevalent in the older population. There are also pathologists who work with children and adults with severe mental handicaps. These are just a few of the settings that you may observe a speech language pathologist at work.

Speech language pathology is the study and treatment of disordered speech and language. At one time or another in their life, someone will require the assistance of a speech language pathologist. Whether it is for themselves or for a child who is a late bloomer and is experiencing difficulty catching up with other children their age, a speech language pathologist’s job is to assess, diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive communication, voice, swallowing, and fluency. They work with people who cannot produce speech sounds, cannot produce them clearly, or those who have problems with voice quality. They also work with those who have problems understanding and forming language, those who have cognitive communication impairments, as well as those with oral and pharyngeal swallowing disorders.

2. Importance of Speech Language Pathology

Another important aspect is the opportunity it provides for individuals to access better communication and swallowing. This assistance is often sought by people who have acquired a communication or swallowing disorder due to experiences such as a stroke, traumatic brain injury, neurological disease, or head and neck tumor. These individuals often become discouraged and may feel that their communication abilities are lost, saying things like “I can’t talk anymore” (Health professions and procedures, 2006). Improved communication skills can be a realistic goal for these individuals, and becoming a qualified speech therapist can be a valuable resource. The transformation from a communication disorder can be seen in the example of Jones (a hypothetical example), who was a confident executive with strong communication skills before his injury. After the injury, he lost his job and became dependent on his wife for care. His desire to communicate clearly again led him to seek the help of a speech therapist.

Firstly, the obvious type of importance of speech language therapy could be the help it provides to individuals with their own practice. Many speech language pathologists have satisfying jobs working with a variety of people, adolescents, and adults to help them develop better communication skills and alleviate their conditions. This is a great way to improve one’s mental self-esteem and overall quality of life. Communication is recognized as a fundamental part of life, and we often take for granted the complexity and benefits it brings. Freelancers who specialize in communication disorders are helping society to understand and support those who are often marginalized and left on the outskirts of life due to severe, profound, or multiple learning disabilities (Health professions and procedures, 2011). Attention given to the severity of the communication disorder can lead to significant improvements in quality of life. This can have an impact on how a communication disorder is perceived, such as comparing a disabled person who relies on a vehicle to an average worker in a temporary job. The former is often more easily categorized, even if it is to the detriment of the artist.

3. Techniques and Approaches in Speech Language Pathology

Assessment and diagnosis, which is comprised of measures used to identify the presence, type and severity of an impairment. This will involve obtaining a case history, interacting and conversing with the client to evaluate their speech and language abilities, and using standardized tests and measures to pinpoint exactly where the impairment lies. Client profiling and severity rating involves compiling all the information on the client and assessing the severity of the disorder. The information gained from client profiling and severity rating is then used to determine a suitable course of treatment. Goal setting and selection is decided upon the information gathered from the assessment and diagnosis and involves setting long term goals, short term goals and target behaviors. Treatment then commences using various techniques and approaches to closely match the stated goals. One such approach is the Medical Model approach. This approach is based on the premise that the best speech, language or communication is the one which is most normal. This approach focuses on a re-establishment of normal structures and functions and is based upon retraining of an impaired skill, compensation and the last resort being elimination if retraining has failed. This approach is suitable for clients with a mild impairment. Cognitive neuropsychological approach draws on the model of cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology views the mind as an information processing system and asserts that language is highly related to cognition. In order to understand a language ability, it is necessary to know which area of the cognitive system has malfunctioned. This will involve comparing clients with their original speech and language, diagnosing the error and establishing the nature of the impairment, and finally making a hypothesis of the problem for that client. This approach then works on retraining the impaired skill by practicing the task and using strategies or a method of teaching that client until the skill is relearned. This is the most used approach in modern SLT and is applicable to most disorders, mild or severe.

4. Common Disorders and Conditions in Speech Language Pathology

There are many different types of speech and language disorders and conditions that can result from a variety of causes. A few of the most often seen by SLPs include apraxia, dysarthria, and various types of aphasia. Apraxia is a motor speech disorder that makes it hard to speak. Specific symptoms include being unable to combine sounds to form words, difficulty putting the right sound with the right syllables and words, being able to say a sound or word correctly at one time and not the other, and increased errors in longer words and sentences. There are several types of apraxia but the most common is acquired apraxia of speech. This occurs in adults either as a result of a stroke or head injury. It is important to note that this is different from developmental apraxia of speech, which occurs in children. Dysarthria is also a motor speech disorder but is caused by muscle weakness resulting from damage to the central or peripheral nervous system. This makes it difficult to control the muscles and articulators needed to produce speech and can cause a variety of specific speech symptoms depending on the location and severity of the damage. Symptoms can include slurred speech, using a slow or fast rate of speech, and limited movement of the tongue, lips, or jaw. Like apraxia, there are several types of dysarthria due to different causes and varying degrees of severity. Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to the language center of the brain and can affect any or all language modalities. This includes speaking, understanding speech, reading, and writing. The specific symptoms will vary depending on the severity and location of the brain damage but can include difficulty forming sentences, finding the right words to use, and difficulty understanding speech. There are many types of aphasia, each varying in the specific symptoms and language modalities affected. Anomic aphasia is a mild form of aphasia in which the main symptom is difficulty using the right names for specific objects, people, places, etc. Global aphasia is the most severe form and results in a near-total communication disability. It is important for SLPs to understand the type of aphasia the patient has as it has a large effect on their communication abilities and prognosis for recovery.

5. Future Directions and Advancements in Speech Language Pathology

Speech-language pathology is a field currently expanding. Due to recent legislation and changes in health care, jobs are supposed to increase rapidly from 2016 to 2026. In addition to the joining of the new field into the cutting-edge realm, there are numerous researches investigating many causes and possible treatments or even prevention for various speech-language disorders. This is an exciting time for the discipline, and many researchers have set out to investigate the genetic and neurophysiological basis for many disorders, in an attempt to further understand underlying mechanisms, and hopefully be able to prevent or rectify these disorders. With the ever-increasing diversity in the population, and the ever-increasing numbers of immigrants, there is a high demand for understanding cross-cultural issues in the assessment and treatment of communication disorders, as well as the training of SLPs to serve diverse groups of clients better. This current demand will most likely shape the landscape of the field in the years to come. Another area of high interest is the investigation into the effects of various pharmacological agents on modifying aspects of neurologic function related to speech and language. This may have future applications in treatment using drugs to enhance or restore communication abilities. Lastly, the rapid advances in technology have opened up a new realm for the treatment of communication disorders. From using MRI and other scanning methods to better understand neurological bases of disorders, to computerized treatment programs and communication devices, technology is rapidly changing the way we treat and even think about communication disorders. These technological advances open up a wide range of possibilities for the future of the field. All of these current trends have great potential to shape the future of the field, and the possibilities are exciting.