Speech Therapist
If you enjoy meeting a wide range of people and are interested in language and human development, a career as a speech and language therapist may be for you. Speech and language science focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of such disorders. Individuals can experience speech difficulties at any age, and therapists can work with children or adults.
Speech is something that most of us take for granted. Imagine a situation where you wanted to have a conversation but you couldn’t, however hard you tried. It is estimated that there are around 2.5 million people in the UK alone with a speech or communication disorder where normal speech is disrupted in some way. The emotional and physical effects of communication disorders may have physical, emotional and social causes and effects and this is where a speech therapist can help.
The range of situations where a speech therapist may be involved is very wide. They may include a young child whose speech is not developing properly; people who have had surgery or an accident that may have impaired their speech; those that have hearing problems; or people who have illnesses such as Alzheimer's or have suffered a stroke. Therapists may also deal with eating and swallowing problems. Speech therapists are known as allied health professionals who often work alongside doctors, teachers and psychologists in hospital settings, out in the community or in schools or colleges.
Courses in speech therapy are generally geared towards the processes of communication and how these may be impaired and also focus on how to treat such problems. Many of the courses available in the UK are accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists which is the professional body for speech and language therapists and support workers. These courses tend to follow roughly the same format. Example areas of study include: hearing science; socio-linguistics; anatomy; phonetics; psychology; neuropsychology; child language; and counselling skills.
The demand for qualified speech therapists remains consistently high and employment prospects are good. A qualification in speech therapy will enable you to find employment as a speech therapist in the NHS or in the private sector. With an additional qualification you can teach or work within the social services. It may be possible to specialise in specific areas such as paediatrics or certain disorders like stammering. Some universities offer postgraduate studies in areas such as language disorders, speech and swallowing and clinical speech, allowing you to develop research in a particular area.
Entry requirements for speech therapy courses vary from institution to institution but those listed below will give you a general idea of the kind of qualifications and grades you may need. It is worthwhile checking with the institution at which you wish to apply before submitting an application.
