May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

          Did you know that May is Better Hearing and Speech Month? Chances are that you probably didn’t. (Unless you are a SLP or an Au.D) And just in case you don’t know what those stand for: a SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist and  Au.D is an Audiologist. And as it turns out, I just so happen to be a SLP. Better Hearing and Speech Month is dedicated to raising awareness about communication/hearing disorders. Since it is May, I thought it would be fun to explain a little about my chosen career!

          Speech-language pathologists, aka speech therapists, speech teachers, etc. are professionals who evaluate and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders. They can work with individuals from all stages of life: birth-geriatrics.  Places of employment for SLPs include hospitals, nursing homes, schools, private practices, etc. As you can probably imagine, speech-language pathology is a very broad field! Here are some disorders that SLPs treat:

-         Articulation disorder: this occurs when a child substitutes one sound for another sound. Ex: wabbit for rabbit or tat for cat

-         Phonological disorder: this is an impairment in the rules of a sound system. Ex: omitting ending sounds in words

-         Fluency disorders: aka stuttering

-         Voice disorders: this occurs when there is an impairment in the volume, quality, resonance of the voice. Ex: sounding hoarse or like they are talking through the nose

-         Language disorders: impairment in learning language or loss of language skills due to trauma or illness

-         Swallowing disorders: because SLPs study the musculature of the speech mechanism (tongue, larynx-Adam’s apple) and those are the same muscles used in chewing and swallowing, they also treat swallowing disorders.

Speech-language pathologists may work with babies who have an impairment with swallowing which could be caused from a variety of reasons such as cleft palate, prematurity, or certain syndromes (ex. Down Syndrome). They work with children who have difficulty with any of the above communication disorders. They may also work with children who have communication disorders because of developmental delays, autism, syndromes, hearing loss, etc. They may work with adults who have traumatic brain injuries, strokes, degenerative illnesses (ex. Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, etc.), laryngectomies (having the Adam’s apple removed), etc. They may work with adults who speak different languages and have an accent on accent reduction and also with transgender adults who want to change their voice (completely unexpected, right?!) I’m going to stop here, but this list could go on and on!  

So that explains a little about the field of speech-language pathology and communication disorders. I’m sure you don’t think about all of the aspects of your communication skills on a regular basis, but if you can communicate you are blessed! Muscles have to coordinate at just the right time and move to a very precise area every time you speak. And to have the ability to think and know what you want to say and how you want to say it! Don’t take this for granted. Use it to encourage those around you and to praise God!

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29 NLT

“And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossians 3:17 The Message