It’s Just Lisps, Right?

Nope! So, What does a speech-language pathologist actually do? You’ve heard the terms speech-language pathologist, speech therapist, speech teacher, or speech lady. These all mean the same thing, but the official name is speech-language pathologist. I call myself a speech therapist in conversation. It’s kind of like how a doctor is technically a physician, or a 'Doctor of Medicine’ but most people just say “Doctor” in conversation. I’m definitely not a doctor though, so keep those medical questions for your kid’s pediatrician. What can I help you with, though?

Did your baby have a tongue tie or lip tie when they were born? How do you know if your child has a language delay or is just a late talker? Do you wonder if your toddler is just a picky eater, or if they may have something sensory going on that could be addressed? Are you the only one who can understand your 3 year-old? Do you sometimes wonder if your child is shy, or if they could benefit from some structure in learning social skills?

There are 9 specialties under the speech-language pathology umbrella, sometimes referred to by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as ‘The Big Nine’. 

1.     Receptive and expressive language refer to what we are understanding and expressing.

2.     Articulation focuses on sounds we are making, or how we are saying what we say.

3.     Fluency is often referred to as stuttering.

4.     Voice and resonance, or phonation, focuses on how the vocal cords are working and what they are doing to impact how the voice sounds. 

5.     Hearing is within the scope of practice of an SLP as it relates to communicating in terms of understanding others and speaking with hearing loss. 

6.     Swallowing, or dysphagia, is a big one, as most of the same structures used to chew and swallow are used in speech. There is some overlap here with occupational therapy (OT) and lactation consultants (IBCLC). Just know that if someone refers to themselves as a “feeding therapist” or says they offer feeding therapy, you need to make sure they are a certified SLP, OT, or IBCLC.

7.     Social aspects of communication, often called ‘pragmatics’, refers to social skills. 

8.     Cognitive aspects of communication goals are sometimes used with patients with dementia or recovering from traumatic brain injuries such as trauma or stroke.

9.     Communication modalities refers to AAC, or Augmentative and Alternative Communication, such as PECS boards, iPad apps, and text to speech type tools. 

While SLPs can work with people of any age, I focus on pediatric care, specifically birth through school-age. When I share this, I usually get asked “Birth? Really?”, and the answer is yes, because babies eat right away. Go to our site HERE to learn more about feeding therapy with babies. I focus on receptive and expressive language, articulation, and feeding/swallowing. I also work with some kids on goals related to social communication, fluency, and voice. 

I absolutely love what I do. I take a family centered approach, and see kids in their home or preschool settings. I work as much with kids as I do with their parents, and focus on encouraging and empowering families to use the tools and strategies I give them to achieve their goals. Family centered means that I let the family lead where we go in therapy, and I am your resource to make progress. 

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about what we do. Follow @homegrownspeech on Instagram for strategies, information, and humor related to speech and language development, and feeding therapy.