Child speech pathologist is the official name for speech therapists.
They are responsible for helping people with speech, language and
hearing disabilities. These include stuttering, speech rhythm and
inability to produce sounds. These disorders are usually caused by an
illness, a genetic disorder
or an injury. Sometimes, speech pathologists are called upon to help
artists deal with accents. They also train sports figures and political
leaders in public speaking. Bottom line, they identify the speech
disorder of a person and helps to come up with a treatment plan to
correct the disability.
A lot of child speech pathologist professionals are employed in
schools. These are concentrated in preschool, primary and secondary
institutions. Some therapists are employed by one district and they look
after several schools in that area. They can also work in hospitals,
nursing care facilities, day care centers and home care services. Some
of them opt to set up a private practice though most of them were
employed first to gain experience and build their credibility.
Statistics show that almost 120,000 jobs were held by speech
therapists in 2008 and it is expected to rise. As the current generation
is reaching the elderly age, speech therapists are required to help
them retain their speaking skills amid illnesses brought about by old
age.
To become a child speech pathologist,
you need to complete the educational requirements so you can qualify
for a license. Before you can enrol in a speech therapy graduate school,
you need to be a graduate of a 4 year degree. The requirements vary per
school and state so it is best for you to do some research on the
location you are in and the school that you are looking to enter. Make
sure that the speech therapy school that you will enrol in is accredited
by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Check the school
clinical practice assistance because one of the many requirements to get
a license is a specific number of hours of hands on experience.
The programs for a child speech pathologist should include studies on
anatomy, speech disorders, psychology, human development, phonetics,
physiology and neurology. There are programs that will lead you towards a
specialization so if you want to help children specifically, for
instance, your education must be able to sustain the requirements for
that. If your school is accredited, most likely the program has been
approved by the governing organization as well and is recognized by the
industry when you step out of the school.
Child speech pathologist hopefuls must get a license to be allowed to
legally practice as a speech therapist. There is a national exam that
is given called the Praxis Exam in Speech-Language Pathology. Apart from
that, you also need to complete more than 300 hours of supervised hands
on practice. After you graduate, you also need 9 months of clinical
experience outside of the school.
Once you complete the number of hours and passed the exam, you will
be given your license. This license must be renewed and to do that, you
will be required to take refresher courses. This is to ensure that you
are up to date with the developments in the speech therapy field. These
will help you improve your clinical practice and the methods that you
will use on your patients.


