Many jobs as a Speech Pathologist require a masters degree. Every state has different licensing requirements in order to work as a certified Speech Pathologist. Graduate schools MUST be accredited by the national organization for speech pathologists called ASHA (American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association).

Click here to find accredited schools near you as well as important contact information!

How can I learn more?

If you are a student graduating high school or college and are going into the field of Speech-language Pathology, I highly recommend you join NSSHLA (National Student Speech Langauge Hearing Association). Not only does it provide useful information throughout your undergraduate/graduate career, but being a member also saves you money on your future memberships fees to ASHA.  Become a member now!

There are several abbreviations and words that speech pathologists use without realizing that parents may not understand them! Be in the know with this list of important terms:

AAC: Augmentative-Alternative Communication. Patients who have severe communication disorders can use AAC to learn compensatory strategies to speak.

ABA: Applied Behavior Analysis. This is a therapy method that is based upon the idea that rewards and consequences can promote targeted behaviors.

ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder.

ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADL: Activities of Daily Living (i.e. brushing teeth, tying shoes, independently getting dressed).

AID: Auditory Integrated Training.

AS: Asberger’s Syndrome (social/pragmatics disorder on the autism spectrum).

ASHA: American Speech and Hearing Association

ASL: American Sign Language

BD: Behavioral Disorder

BMP: Behavior Management Plan. Can also be called BMI (Behavior Management Intervention). Created when a child needs their behavior to be controlled by a team. These plans are included in a child’s IEP (see below).

CAPD: Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

CSE: Committee on Special Eduation.

CP: Cerebral Palsy (for additional information please see Diagnosis page).

CPS: Child protective services.

CPSE: Committee on Preschool Special Education. If your child has received Early Intervention services, but continues to exibit delays, you can be referred to the CPSE to determine if your child is eligible for further services. The CPSE will provide you with a list of places where your child can be evaluated FREE of charge!

DCS: Department of Children’s Services

DD: Developmental Disorder/Delay.

DOE:  Department of Education.  Their mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” To find out more information please click here.

DSM-IV: Diagnostic Statistical Manual.

DVD: Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia.

DX: Diagnosis.

EI: Early Intervention. Services that can be provided to a child with special needs from birth to age 3.

ESY: Extended school year (summer school).

FAS: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

FSP: Family Support Plan.

GFCF: Gluten Free/Casein Free (diet)

HFA: Higher Functioning Autism

HI: Hearing Impaired.

HIPPA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

I.E.P: IEP stands for “Individualized Education Program. IEP’s contain your child’s educational goals from their teacher and therapists. An IEP is regularly updated throughout the course of your child’s schooling.

IDEA: The IDEA stands for “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.” This act was established by the government to ensure that children who have special needs, are having them met appropriately. IDEA requires schools to evaluate and diagnose children from ages 3-21. For children who are eligible, an IEP is required to help children reach their educational goals  (see IEP above).

IQ: Intelligence Quotient

LD: Learning Disabled

LFA: Low Functioning Autism

LLD: Language-based Learning Disability

LI: Language Impaired

MDT: Multidisciplinary team (can also be referred to as PPT). A team that works together to help your child (i.e.: speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, pediatrician, school teacher).

MR: Mental retardation.

MSDD: Multisensory Developement Delays.

NLD: Non-verbal learning disability.

NSSHLA: National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.

OHI: Other Health Impairment

On the Spectrum: Refers to a child who may have “autistic” tendencies that can fit under the broad spectrum of characteristics.

OT: Occupational Therapist.

PD: Phonological Disorder

PDD: Pervasive Deficit Disorder (for additional information please see Diagnosis page)

PECS: Picture Exchange Communication System. Part of the augmentative communication system (AAC).

PLS: Pre-school language scale. A formal assessment (testing material).

PPT: Planning and Placement Team. These teams are created to determine a child’s eligibility into special education or related services.

Pragmatics: Refers to the social “language rules” (i.e. appropriate turn-taking, eye contact, maintaining topic of conversation).

PT: Physical Therapist.

RSA: Related Service Authorization. If your child’s speech therapy mandate is not being met at school, an RSA can be obtained so they can receive additional services free to you.

RTI: Response To Intervention. Designed for children to receive services without the label of “special education.”

School Age: Children age 5 and older.

SEIT: Special Education Itinerant Teacher

SERT: Special Education Resource Teacher

SI: Sensory Integration

SID: Sensory Integrative Disorder

SLP: Speech-Language Pathologist.

SLT: Speech-Language Therapist.

SLI: Specific Language Impairment

SPED: Special Education Teacher.

TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury

VR: Vocational Rehabilitation.

Speech therapists may have different names around the world, but we all have the same goal!

Austria: logopädie
Belgium: Logopedisten
Bulgaria: Logopedists
Estonia: Logopeedide
France: Orthoponistes
Germany: logopädie
Greece: Logopedikon
Iceland: talmeinafræðinga
Italy: Logopedisti
Luxembourg: Orthophonistes
Netherlands: Logopedie en Foniatria
Norway: Logopedlag
Portugal: terapeutas da fala
Spain: Logopedia
Sweden: logopedForbundet

Speech-Pathology Member Associations throughout the world:
America: ASHA
Asia Pacific: Asia Pacific Society
Australia: SPA
Austria: Logopedics Austria
Belgium: UPLF
Brazil: Fonoaudiologia
Canada: CALSPA – ACOA
Cyprus: Registered Speech Therapists
Czech Republic: AKL
Denmark: ALF
England: Please see “United Kingdom”
Estonia: ELU
Finland: Member Association
France: FNO
Germany: DBO
Greece: logopedists
Iceland: talmein
Ireland: IASLT
Italy: FLI
Lithuania: LLA
Luxembourg: ALO
Malta: ASLP
Netherlands: NVLF
Norway: NLL
Poland: PZL
Portugal: Terapeutas
Slovakia: SAL
Slovenia: DLOGS
Spain: adul
Sweden: DIK
Switzerland: arld
United Kingdom: RCSLT

Generalization is a very important term used in speech therapy. It is when your child can take what they learn in therapy and apply it in the outside world. Although it is the speech pathologist’s role to teach your child tools and techniques that allow them to improve their speech, it is the parents ultimate role to help generalize what your child learns in therapy. Perhaps your child receives speech therapy in school, a clinic, they may be in large groups, have only 30 minute sessions, are only seen once a week. Therapy in this manner may not be the most beneficial for your child. In order to ensure that your child is not only participating in therapy, but also applying what they learn “outside of the therapy session,” parents must be on top of what their child is doing during these sessions. It is important to keep in contact with all of your child’s therapists. Find out their speech goals, how they are being assessed in therapy as well as your child’s progress. Generalization can improve progress and allow your child to reach their goals faster.

How can I help?
Perhaps your child has an articulation disorder. Your child’s speech pathologist is currently working on appropriately producing the /s/ sound with him or her. Correct your child’s wrongly produced /s/ and encourage them to use techniques that they learned in therapy to produce it correctly. Maybe your child has an auditory processing disorder. Ask your speech therapist for related worksheets that can be done at home together. Read stories to your child and have them answer simple questions. There are a variety of ways that you can help! Ask your speech therapist what you can do to improve your child’s speech and language skills.

Formal assessments are conducted by Speech-Language Pathologist’s using norm-referenced tests. This means that the tests have been standardized. Test results indicate how an individual performs in comparison to others at their same age/grade level.

Criterion referenced tests fall under “formal assessments.” These tests measure what an individual can do based on his/her past performance. These tests are often used to see how much progress or decline an individual has made.

Informal assessments can be done in several ways. The first way is observation. This is when a Speech-Language Pathologist observes an individual in different environments. A “natural” setting is highly recommended, meaning that an individual is observed best when they are at home or a “natural” setting that they are familiar with.  However, observations can also take place in schools and hospital settings. The Speech-Language Pathologist looks at interactions, play skills and motor abilities.

Check-lists and Rating scales are another way to informally assess an individual. Both of these informal assessments allow the clinician to see areas of weakness and strength in a quicker and easier fashion.

Below are just some of the Formal assessments for children used by Speech-Language Pathologists:

CELF-4: Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals- fourth edition. The CELF (prounounced “self”) assesses student’s language performances with subtests including; concepts and following directions, recalling sentences, word structure, expressive vocabulary, word classes, pragmatic skills and more. This test is used for ages 5-21.

CTOPP: Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing. This tests for ph0nological awareness, memory and rapid naming responses. Used for ages 5-24:11

EOWPVT: Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test. This test requires a child to name objects and actions presented in illustrations. This test is used for ages 2-80+.

GFTA-2: Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation, second edition. This test allows an SLP to see articulation abilities and errors. This test is used for ages 2-21:11.

OWLS: Oral and Written Language Scales. There are three scales in this test. The listening comprehensive scale (LC) is used to assess receptive language. The Oral Expression Scale (OES) is used to see how a child answers questions. The last scale is for Written Language (WES) that assesses a child’s writing skills. Used with ages 3:0-21:00

PLS-5: Preschool Language Scales- fifth edition (recently upgraded to 5, was PLS-4). Tests auditory comprehension and expressive communication. Used for ages birth-7:11.

ROWPVT: Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test. In this test, a child is orally read a word, and they must point to one out of four illustrations presented. This test is used for individuals aged 2-80+.

TOLD-4: Test of Language Development, fourth edition. There are two tests that can be given based on age.
(Primary) Used for ages 4.0-8.11. It has 9 subtests that include; picture vocabulary, relational vocabulary, oral vocabulary, syntactic understanding, sentence imitation, morphological completion, word discrimination, word analysis and word articulation.
(Intermediate) Used for ages 8:0-17:11. Subtests include sentence combining, picture vocabulary, word ordering, relational vocabulary, morphological comprehension and multiple meanings

Many parents and caregivers are removing gluten and casein from their childrens’ diets because they believe that it improves the symptoms of autism.

What is gluten and casein?

Gluten is a protein that is found in certain grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten allows breads to rise, remain firm and be absorbable.

Casein is a protein found in milk. It is found in a variety of dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter and ice cream.

The idea behind it:
How can gluten and casein affect autism? One theory states that children with autism cannot process gluten and casein leading to a formation of peptides. These peptides are believed to “alter” a person’s behavior. Several studies have been conducted to see if removing gluten and casein actually improve autistic behaviors. Some studies have found no change in children while others have found positive results.

What should I do?
It is important to first discuss a change in your child’s diet with their physician and nutritionist to ensure that your child will maintain a healthy diet appropriate for him or her.

How will I get my child to eat that?
Feeling overwhelmed? The following books will guide you through the process!

Additional recommended cook books:

I am always looking for motivational activities or games to use during therapy. Super Duper Publications is a great company that provides such games! Say and Do Artic Bingo is a great way to make articulation therapy fun. From personal experience, the children I work with love the bright pictures and colorful chips. Each game set comes with laminated riddle cards that allow children to not only practice targeted sounds but also guess the word from the clues provided. The company offers a variety of targeted speech sounds including S, R, L, TH, K, SH and CH. Check it out at SuperDuper!