Become a Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist
Discover speech-language pathology training and careers.
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As a speech-language pathologist, often referred to as a speech therapist, you'll evaluate and treat children and adults with speech, language and swallowing problems. You'll help children and adolescents with language disorders to understand and give directions, convey ideas and improve language skills that lead to better academic performance. You'll also evaluate and treat persons with swallowing disorders that may result from illness, surgery, stroke or injury. Speech Therapist Job DescriptionYour typical duties as a speech-language pathologist may include:
Find Speech-Language Pathology Schools Speech Therapist SalaryAccording to Salary.com, the middle 50 percent of speech-language pathologists earn between $52,893 and $64,826 per year. The top 10 percent earn an annual salary of $71,912 or more. Speech Therapist Work EnvironmentEmployment of speech-language pathologists and audiologists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2010. Federal legislation mandates the presence of speech, language and hearing professionals in public schools. Also, a steady rise in the number of older adults with language, speech and hearing problems is increasing the demand for the services of speech-language pathologists and audiologists. As an experienced speech-language pathologist, you'll be able to work in a variety of settings, including the following:
Find Speech-Language Pathology Schools Speech Therapist Education & TrainingTo become a speech-language pathologist, you can earn a bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders or a related discipline and then enter a graduate program in speech-language pathology. If you didn't take general communication sciences and disorders coursework during your undergraduate years, you can enter a 1- to 2-year post-baccalaureate program to complete the required prerequisites for graduate school. To practice as a speech-language pathologist, you must complete a 2-year master's or a 4-year doctoral (SLP.D.) program in speech-language pathology. The PhD in speech-language pathology is typically acquired for in-depth research into a particular area of interest. Speech Therapist LicensureSpeech-language pathologists can acquire the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). To earn a CCC-SLP, a person must have a graduate degree and 375 hours of supervised clinical experience, complete a 36-week postgraduate clinical fellowship, and pass a written examination. Thirty-six states have continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. |




