I work at an outpatient rehabilitation center and I get to work with kids and families from a wide area and all over the disorder spectrum. I see kids ages 12 months to 18 years old who have communication challenges. This ranges anywhere from kids with speech problems all the way to children on the autistic spectrum to develop their understanding of speech. I work with kids who have experienced a stroke or a traumatic brain injury to help them develop skills to reintegrate into everyday life.
CAREER
Speech-Language Pathologists
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$80,480
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+24.9% (much faster than the average)
Most Common Level of Education
Master's degree
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Speech-Language Pathologists Do
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.
Other Job Titles Speech-Language Pathologists May Have
Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist, Communication Specialist, Educational Speech-Language Clinician, Speech Pathologist, Speech Therapist, Speech and Hearing Handicapped Teacher, Speech and Language Clinician, Speech and Language Specialist, Speech and Language Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
- Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
- Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
- Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
- Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Speech-Language Pathologists
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Master's degree (85%)
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Doctoral or professional degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Deaf Educational Consultant/Teacher of Record ,
Indiana State Dept of Health- Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Deaf Education
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
For my profession, behavioral intervention and how to manage children’s behavior is something that is not taught in master's programs. My skills acquired through behavioral work have been a huge benefit to me. Additionally, not being intimidated by people and opening yourself up to be an honest communicator is really important. You have to be able to connect with somebody before you can show off your skills.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
Everyone
Go with the flow and follow what is driving you. I know it’s super cliche, but you have to work 8-10 hours a day. If you don’t at least half way like what you’re doing during those hours - what a terrible quality of life. I started in advertising, but the culture of young people is changing, and it’s less important to have a career that you’ll keep for 40 years. So dabble around until you land on something that you like.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
