Not everything you hear is true!

Some people do not know what they want to do with their lives until they are already in the middle of college. However, ever since I was 13 years old I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I have been surrounded by speech pathologists practically my entire life. My brother had one when he was younger, which is where I listened in on the sessions and became intrigued, as well as having a few of them as family friends. Most people do not truly understand what exactly a speech pathologist does and there are many misconceptions about the profession. Here are five misunderstandings about speech pathologists that I would like to clarify.

1. The only thing a speech pathologist does is help a person speak.

While speech pathologists do work to help individuals speak, that is only one out of many problems they try to solve. Speech pathologists work with people to help them if they have difficulty swallowing and feeding disorders, Speech delays and disorders such as articulation and phonology, fluency disorders including stuttering, voice and resonance disorders, cognitive disorders, dysphasia and much more. So please do not underestimate how much work speech pathologists actually do.

2. Speech pathology is not a health major/ a job in health.

Now, I have heard this myth a lot, and even in my own college it is under the education program. Just because it is under the education program and speech pathologists do not have to go to medical school, does not mean Speech Pathologists are any less in the health field. Speech pathologists are able to diagnose and prescribe medication to their patients, so how please tell me how this is not considered being in the health field? Just because they do not wear white lab coats does not make this profession any less in the medical/health field.

3. Speech pathologists only work with children.

Many people in my experiences always assumed that speech pathologists only work with children. Of course this isn't true because they work with people of all ages, from birth until death. Children are not the only ones who need to be treated when it comes to their speech, voice, swallowing or many of the other issues Speech pathologists work on.

4. Speech pathologists treatment is just play time for kids.

I am sure that you have seen speech pathologists with toys around the children and books that look like they are for bed time reading. Many people think speech pathologists waste their time with silly games or books, but on the contrary- this helps treatment a lot! "If an SLP is working on the “d” sound with a child, she might introduce the child to a doll. For the “t” sound, toy trucks might be used."Playtime is particularly helpful for teaching children because they are more likely to be engaged in the learning process. Parents can stimulate learning and language development by bringing their children to museums, reading with them and encouraging them to ask questions."

5. Speech pathologists can only work in an office.

I came across many people who believed that speech pathologists can barely work anywhere except for an office. Yes, speech pathologists can work at offices, but they can also work in a hospital, schools, rehabilitation facilities, nursing and residential care facilities and you can even go to people's houses. There are many employment opportunities for speech pathologists in different environments, you just have to choose the right one for you!

Speech pathology is a wonderful career and I believe it is an amazing major to pursue!