Speech and Language Pathology in School Settings

Speech And Language Pathology In School Settings

Speech-language pathology (now also called communication sciences and disorders in the United States and some other countries) is a fast-growing profession that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, offers about 96,000 jobs in the United States alone. To practice in the United States, a prospective therapist must have an undergraduate degree (preferably in some area of communications), a graduate degree (with an internship; usually about 2 1/2 years) in speech pathology, the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in speech pathology from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), an additional certification from ASHA in school speech pathology and audiology, certification in special education instruction (most have this), must commit to lifelong continuing education, and must have passed any other federal or state examinations for licensure and certification. A doctorate is not currently required (as of June 2011), but that may change, as it has for many other areas of therapy. It relates to many educational disciplines such as communication sciences, linguistics, special education, and health care. This article will explore some of the fundamental elements of speech-language pathology, looking at the career in an educational setting.