What do Speech Language Pathologists do??!!?

[CassidyH]

Speech-Language Pathologists!!!?What do they do exactly I'm considering this career or a school psychologist.do you need to know alot of math and science and chemistry to be successful in this career?..I suck in math..and im not fond with chemistry, Is it depressing job ??..do they at least make much? Where do they usually work..? office/ school? What tools do you work with:P

[StimpsonJCat]

In persuing Speech Therapy for my children, I have found that some SLP's are nearly useless, while others are more helpful. The useless person, all she did was point to pictures in a book and name them for my children. My mother's helper (13 years old) could have done that. My kids are now getting speech therapy at Easter Seals. The SLP's are working on the building blocks of communication such as eye contact and reciprocity (your turn, my turn). They are very patient with my kids. If you work with autistic kids (like mine), don't expect alot of success. It's a painfully slow process. I would say that with the rise in the diagnoses of autism, there will be alot of call for SLP's in the future. I believe a master's degree is required. My daughter's SLP has a master's, my son's is the head of the therapy department at Easter Seals in our area. Visit your local Easter Seals and ask to speak with a SLP. They should be able to tell you more about the educational requirements.

[Stacey8656]

You don't need a lot of math and science to get into this career. The only math I was required to take was statistics. Some of the course work has a bit of science to it like anatomy of head and neck and some hearing science. Check out http://www.asha.org/public/slp.htm. It gives some more info about the field. You can also do a search for salary reports on their website. To work in the field as a licensed SLP you are required to get a master's degree (better if it's an accredited program). If you have a bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders, the master's program will be about 5 semesters. It includes coursework and clinical work in testing and therapy. Speech pathology is a great field that is very rewarding. It is very diverse so you won't get bored. I work in an elementary school and love it. Email me if you have any more questions.