Many people are unaware of the different areas that speech-language pathologists treat and the various settings in which we can work. Most people think we only teach children how to say the /s/ and /r/ sounds correctly. However, that is only a fraction of what we do. Here is a link to the American Speech-Langauge-Hearing Association’s website. This page gives an overview of speech and language disorders and what SLPs can do.
http://www.asha.org/careers/professions/sld.htm
For parents, as well as SLPs and classroom teachers, Mommy Speech Therapy is an awesome resource. Heidi is an SLP who now works from home. She has great tips for parents who want to help their children correctly produce speech sounds and many free printables. Here’s a link to get you started on her website:
http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?page_id=50
Since I work in an elementary school, I am most often referred to as the speech teacher. I will be honest and say that when I first started working I took offense to that. After all, I had gone to school for six years, earned a master’s degree and passed a national examination. Then I worked for one year under the supervision of a licensed SLP to finally be able to say and write M.S., CCC-SLP after my name. But then I got off my high horse and realized it was ok to be called a speech teacher. Because to the children, that’s exactly what I am.
In the elementary school where I work, I am one of two speech therapists. As I stated in the about me page, for the past 4 years I worked primarily with the hearing impaired and autistic children. This year, I have moved back into a more traditional speech therapy role.
In the area of hearing impairment, I am a huge proponent of using the auditory-verbal method. I am not a certified auditory verbal therapist, but I do use most of their principles and techniques in my therapy. Due to the advances in techology of hearing aids and cochlear implants, all children with hearing loss, no matter how profound, can have access to the full range of the speech spectrum and be able to hear within the normal range of a typically hearing person. The Alabama Ear Institute hosts a summer institute each year for both professionals and parents. I have attended twice now and have learned so much. I appreciate all the work they do to educate people about hearing loss and intervention approaches. You can find out more information at their website. http://www.alabamaearinstitute.org
More to come….
The Unexpected Life of the Lee's 