What is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

A Speech-Language Pathologist is a specialist who:

• Helps people develop their communication abilities and treats speech, language, and voice disorders.
• Provides services including prevention, identification, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of communication disorders.
• May conduct research to develop new and better ways to diagnose and remediate speech/language problems.
• Works with children who have language delays and speech problems.
• Provides treatment to people who stutter and to those with voice and articulation problems.
• Plans and conducts activities to improve a student’s communication skills (speaking, listening, thinking, reading, and writing.
• Collaborates with parents, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals in understanding and meeting a student’s communication and academic needs.
• Writes Individual Education Plans (IEP) for students with communication disorders as required by federal laws.
• Educates parents, teachers, and administrators about communication disorders.
• May aid people with foreign or regional accents who want to learn another speech style.
• Has received at least a master’s degree from an accredited university.
• Is licensed to practice by each state.
• May be clinically certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association