Become a Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist

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 Description

Your typical duties as a speech-language pathologist may include:

• Working with children to improve their language skills and their academic performance
• Treating people who have experienced a stroke or brain trauma to help them regain language, speech and swallowing ability
• Assisting individuals in developing proper control of the vocal and respiratory systems for correct voice production
• Counseling individuals and families to better cope with speech and language disorders
• Helping those who stutter to increase fluency
• Assisting with accent modification for non-native speakers of English

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Speech Therapist Salary

According 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 Environment

Employment 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:

• Hospitals and rehabilitation centers
• Private practice
• Elementary and secondary schools
• Colleges and universities
• State and local health departments
• Home health agencies
• Long-term facilities
• Private industry nonprofit clinics

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Speech Therapist Education & Training

To 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 Licensure

Speech-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.

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