Communication disorders affect approximately 47 million people in the United States today. These can be caused by such things as birth defects and anomalies, hearing loss, emotional disturbances, or illness or injury. Speech and language pathologists work with patients to assess and treat speech, language, and voice disorders as well as swallowing difficulties.

Duties, Activities, and Scope of Practice

Speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders stem from a variety of causes and affect people of all ages. These can include strokes, brain injury, developmental delays, birth defects, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, cerebral palsy, cleft palates, and cancers. S.T.s treat stuttering, voice quality problems such as a harsh pitch or hoarseness, and even cognitive impairments such as poor memory, attention deficits, and problem-solving issues from a stroke or other disabling disease. Those who wish to lose an accent would also work with a speech-language pathologist.

Children born with cleft palates and lips, deafness, or diminished hearing, or those who suffer from developmental delays or cerebral palsy, may experience communication disorders that will require assistance from a speech therapist.

Education and Training

Undergraduate work is done in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, sociology, and linguistics. There are 239 accredited graduate schools of speech-language pathology. The courses include anatomy and physiology of the areas of the body affected by, and that affect, speech and language, hearing, and swallowing disorders. Also included in the curriculum are courses in development of speech; acoustics; the nature of speech, hearing, and swallowing disorders, psychology of communication; and treatment modalities for and correction of speech, language, and swallowing disorders. The programs also include supervised clinical practice.

Licensure/Certification

To practice, S.T.s must have a master's degree. To be certified, they must pass a national exam, which is offered through the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service. In addition to this test, the candidate must have had 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and nine months of postgraduate professional experience. The certification is a CCC-SLP (Certified Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology). Thirty-eight states require continuing education for license renewal.

Work Settings and Salaries

S.T.s work in hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities, rehab centers, public and private schools, adult day care settings, and home health care agencies. Some work in private practice.

Those who work for schools may work a nine- or ten-month academic year. According to the U.S Department of Labor, the median income in 2004 was $52,410, and salaries ranged from $34,720 to $82,420.

Career Potential and Additional Information

Employment opportunities for S.T.s are expected to grow faster than the average for all professions through 2014. There are two factors that weigh heavily in this prediction. The population is aging and the baby-boom generation is entering the age range where more neurological disorders are likely to strike — such as strokes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's — affecting speech, hearing, and swallowing functions. The second factor is that federal law now guarantees special education and access to services for children with disabilities. Early diagnosis and treatment for speech, language, hearing, and swallowing disorders is essential for successfully maximizing improvement.

For more information about speech-language pathology jobs, contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Their Web site is www.asha.org. Their address is 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.