A speech pathologist is a healthcare professional responsible for diagnosing and treating voice disorders, including laryngeal disorders, glo muscular disorders, and paragangliomas. A speech pathologist SA is also known as a speech-language pathologist or lingua anthropologist. Most speech pathologists specialise in diagnosing and treating childhood stuttering, fluency impairment related to stuttering, impediment of swallowing, and voice abnormalities. They may work in a general or pediatric clinic, school health care facility, rehabilitation centre or specialised hospital.
The wide variety of specialties provided by speech pathologists means handling a wide array of speech problems. Some speech pathologists may specialise in an area such as public speaking or the analysis of stuttering. Others may specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of speech disabilities. Speech pathologists can teach or train other healthcare professionals such as audiologists, articulate, speech Pathologists, orthologues and speech therapists.
There are several different types of speech pathology. The three most common subspecialties of speech pathology are Pediatric Speech-language Pathology, Audiology and Speech Pathology. Pediatric speech-language pathology deals with hearing impairment in children and delivering appropriate speech therapies. Audiology deals with hearing problems and the analysis of the inner ear. Speech Pathology deals with the speech problem and pathology of the throat and larynx, which allows the voice to be heard above the normal noises from the environment. Speech pathology may involve a single area or a number of areas.
Some speech pathology professionals specialise in one particular area, such as speech-language pathology, or may even work as a consultant to a number of other speech pathologists. These speech pathologists can provide valuable advice to healthcare professionals and parents and guardians on the right course of action for their child. They can also help establish the course of treatment for the patient and advice on managing any particular symptom. This can help to show if any medication or procedure is required or is of little benefit.
A speech pathologist SA also helps manage the parents and guardians’ relationship with their child and assists with educational and emotional support. The speech pathology professional can also advise the families about the best way to help their child. They may even refer the family to an appropriate speech pathologist for further advice. If there is an underlying medical cause for the child’s symptoms, a speech pathologist may prescribe a drug to treat the cause, in addition to improving the speech.
A career as a speech pathologist SA can be an exciting and rewarding career. The education completed in this degree will prepare you to handle several different situations where your speaking skills may be tested. You will study various techniques and strategies used in speech pathology and be exposed to many kinds of people and situations. Your knowledge in speech pathology will prepare you to deal with difficult situations and to lead in complex cases. You will be prepared to make a good decision and provide sound advice to any patient who comes to you for treatment.