Speech therapists do a LOT! We work in hospitals, schools, clinics, and even home health. Here is a list of our main responsibilities:
Speech Therapists work with patients to re-learn language skills
they used to have before their injury/diagnosis (e.g. vocabulary,
types of sentences they can say, understanding questions and
conversations, etc.)
For some patients, functionally intelligible verbal speech is not
easily or immediately accessible all the time. In such cases, Speech Therapists
help patients and families adjust to using a new system of
communication, such as an iPad with a "talking app",
communication cards, a picture exchange system, etc. This can
relieve the frustration of someone having trouble expressing themselves, and can even encourage and assist some patients with
verbal communication in the long term.
Speech
Therapists work alongside Occupational Therapists to improve safety
awareness, ability to understand and perform daily tasks, support
memory with strategies, and recover abstract reasoning and planning
(thinking skills).
Dementia
Speech
Therapists provide training for patients and families to use routines
and external memory strategies to learn safety procedures, manage activities of daily living, interact meaningfully with family and friends, and ease transitions during a time of
changing skill-sets.
Developmental
language disorders (sometimes called Specific Language
Impairment)
Speech
Therapists work with children to solidify language skills they have
begun to explore (again: vocabulary, types of sentences they can
say, understanding multistep commands, etc.) and to move on to the
next step toward age-appropriate expression and understanding.
Dysphagia
(Swallowing difficulties)
Speech
Therapists provide strategies for safe swallowing—making sure food
goes to a patient's stomach, rather than their lungs.
Feeding
difficulties
Speech
Therapists provide an environment for children to explore different
kinds of food and mouth movements/sensations in a positive,
no-pressure environment. They work with children to improve their
oral-motor skills, sensory awareness, and attitudes toward food
through play therapy. They also train families to help their
children to feel safe to explore food at their own pace. It is
important to also see a nutritionist to guide the Speech Therapist's
choices for which types of foods to present in therapy and to guide
the family's choices for nutritional supplements as the child
increases their food repertoire. Speech Therapists can also work
alongside a lactation consultant with infants who have trouble
breastfeeding.
Speech
Therapists primarily encourage
patients to feel more confident and positive about their
communication skills, helping them to communicate without letting stuttering stop them from saying what they want to say. Improving a patient's control of
stuttering moments improving their confidence in their own way of speaking can greatly decrease the
effect a stutter has on a patient's communication experiences.
Hearing
Differences, Hard of Hearing, Deaf
Speech Therapists work alongside audiologists to ensure that
patients with hearing loss have access to language in whatever ways
they need (e.g. Aural rehabilitation, working on speech sounds). Some Speech Therapists speak a signed language (such as ASL) and can provide communication therapy in signed language.
Social
Communication Differences (both developmental and acquired)
Speech
Therapists help patients to identify appropriate and inappropriate
social behaviors so patients can make informed decisions about their
social interactions. Neurodivergent affirming therapy involves supporting a patient's own way of communicating socially, as well as helping patients to decipher the social cues of others around them so they can remain safe and empowered in their community.
Speech
Therapists help patients to practice pronouncing sounds and sound
combinations that are difficult for them. They may also suggest
using simple strategies to improve others' understanding of the
patient's speech.
Speech
Therapists work with patients to improve vocal hygiene and provide
exercises and strategies for optimal vocal quality (i.e. Smooth,
clear, easy to hear, appropriate breathing, etc.)
