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Wiiting In The Speech-Language Pathology Fielu

Eiika Buit

ENuW SSu6

Febiuaiy S
iu
, 2u14























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Speech-Language Pathologists woik with a vaiiety of ages in a vaiiety of
capacities to assist with communication anu feeuing neeus. In auuition to woiking in
a clinic, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) can woik in schools, hospitals,
iehabilitation centeis, ieseaich laboiatoiies, home health agencies, anu nuising
homes ("Caieeis in speech", 2u14). Noie specific examples of caieei options foi
SLPs incluue accent mouification, woiking with patients who have lisps oi stutteis,
stioke victims, anu in an Eaily Inteivention capacity. Although SLPs can woik on
theii own, they aie often involveu in a tians-uisciplinaiy team. Foi example, if
woiking in Eaily Inteivention a SLP may be woiking with a chilu who also neeus
assistance fiom a Physical Theiapist, Social Woikei, anu Bevelopmental Specialist.
In instances like these an SLP must be able to woik well with otheis, an impoitant
value in this caieei. With the vaiieties in this fielu it is impeiative foi theie to be a
cential 'location' wheie piofessionals can come togethei to both shaie iueas anu
euucate themselves. The Ameiican Speech-Language-Beaiing Association (ASBA)
attempts to cieate such a location on theii website. Anothei value impeiative in this
fielu is patience. Eveiy client a clinician sees is uiffeient. Some will piogiess quickly
while otheis take moie time. In those instances it is impoitant to iemembei that
even the smallest auvancements aie significant.
The values of patience, teamwoik anu vaiiety helpeu leau me to my caieei
path. Auuitionally, fiom vaiious volunteeiing expeiiences I leaineu that I wanteu to
woik with inuiviuuals with uisabilities. uiowing up I knew multiple chiluien anu
auults who neeueu assistance fiom SLP. Befoie applying foi college I began
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ieseaiching the fielu anu the vaiiety of occupations it supplieu weie a peifect fit foi
me. Although the fielu allows me to woik with any age gioup, fiom infants to
geiiatiics, I was initially attiacteu to the iuea of woiking with chiluien. I have always
enjoyeu theii iesilience anu innocence. Aftei I giauuate in may I hope to woik in
Eaily Inteivention foi a shoit peiiou of time befoie I attenu giauuate school to
complete my masteis in Speech-Language Pathology. 0nce I have my ceitification I
am hoping to woik with chiluien as a SLP in eithei a school oi hospital setting.

Bepenuing on the setting of Speech-Language Pathology one is employeu in,
theie aie vaiious genies of wiiting one may come acioss. Some of the most common
uocuments that a SLP woulu come acioss (oi wiite) incluue Inuiviuualizeu Family
Seivice Plans (IFSPs), Inuiviuualizeu Euucation Plans (IEPs), piogiess notes, S0AP
notes ('subjective, objective, assessment, anu plan'), uevelopmental histoiies of
patients, tieatments plans, obseivation iepoits, anu ieseaich papeis. Theie is a
bioau auuience that may come acioss any one of these uocuments. Foi example, if
an SLP wiites up anu IFSP (goal oiienteu theiapy inuiviuualizeu accoiuing to a
families wants anu neeus) it is intenueu to be useu anu followeu by the SLP anu the
family. Theiefoie the language useu must be cleai anu unueistanuable foi someone
not in the SLP fielu.
Regaiuless of the uiiection a SLP takes, they can expect to come into contact
with a majoiity of these genies of wiiting. When new iefeiials come in anu new
chiluien aie assesseu, an IFSP will neeu to be uevelopeu. Foi eveiy visit a SLP makes
to a home they will have to wiite up a piogiess note foi both the family anu
themselves so that they aie able to keep tiack of the piogiess the chilu is making.
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Tieatment plans anu obseivation iepoits aie also useful in assisting to uevelop
shoit-teim anu long-teim goals foi a chilu anu theii family. Although it is not in my
plans to be conuucting ieseaich anu wiiting ieseaich papeis, I will be ieauing them
in oiuei to assuie that I am pioviuing the most cuiient anu effective theiapy
available. This is a common piactice foi all SLPs.
0ne of the gieatest iesouices available to SLPs is the Ameiican Speech-
Language-Beaiing Association (ASBA) website. As a iesouice it embouies the values
in this fielu. It is not only a way foi uiffeient piofessionals to stay connecteu, but
also a place wheie the most up-to-uate piactices anu ieseaich stuuies (that aie
ielateu to the fielus of Speech-Language Pathology & Auuiology) can be founu. By
becoming a membei of ASBA, piofessionals aie gianteu access to piofessional
publications, netwoiking oppoitunities, caieei builuing tools, continuing euucation
oppoitunities, etc. ("Benefits of ABSA", 2u14). Theie is no one authoi foi this
website, iathei ASBA contiibutes geneial infoimation about the fielu of SLP anu
pioviues any infoimation one may seek by connecting inuiviuuals to othei ielevant
iesouices. This style encompasses the value anu iole of teamwoik in the SLP fielu.
The mission of ASBA is to, "empowei anu suppoit auuiologists, speech-language
pathologists, anu speech, language, anu heaiing scientists" ("About the ameiican,"
2u14). The main puipose of the website is to infoim anu instiuct.
The website is piimaiily foi membeis of the Speech-Language Pathology anu
Auuiology communities. Although theie is an aspect of the website that is foi public
consumption ("Infoimation foi: The Public" locateu in the left column on the
homepage) the majoiity of the website is foi piofessionals woiking in this fielu,
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especially those inuiviuuals who aie membeis of ASBA, as well as stuuents stuuying
SLP. 0n the home page of the website theie aie tabs that incluue a "Nembei Centei"
, "Piactice Nanagement" , anu "Continuing Euucation" ("Ameiican speech-language-
heaiing association:," 2u14) . ASBA auuiesses both the neeus of beginneis anu
expeits in the SLP fielu but uses an abunuance of uiffeient souices. Although much
of the infoimation comes fiom ASBA itself, the tabs listeu pieviously connect
inuiviuuals to othei souices. 0n the "Teims of 0se" page ASBA mentions that the
mateiials anu infoimation gatheieu thiough the site " |aiej foi infoimational anu
euucational puiposes only anu |aiej not a substitute foi the piofessional juugment
of health caie piofessionals in uiagnosing anu tieating patients." ("Teims of use,"
2u14).
When fiist opening up the ASBA homepage, one of the fiist things a usei may
notice is how many uiffeient links anu tabs theie aie. This vaiiety speaks to the
bioauness of the fielu anu the wealth of infoimation in this souice. Even with so
many places to exploie, the website is still veiy easy to navigate. The language useu
on the homepage is veiy simple anu cleai so that anyone new to ASBA will have no
uifficulty finuing what they aie looking foi. The homepage takes useis fiom bioau
anu geneial categoiies to moie specific entiies anu they continue into the website.
Speaking to this, the content founu on ASBA ianges fiom bioau anu simple (ex.
'Caieeis' anu 'Reseaich') to specific anu uifficult (ex. "Compenuium of EBP
uuiuelines anu Systematic Reviews"). The ueepei you go into the website, the moie
specific the topics become.
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A final component of the ASBA website is theii use of visuals. 0n the
homepage theie aie a hanuful of visuals that attiact youi eye to uiffeient aspects of
the website. Although theie is minimal auveitisement, it is all ielative to the fielus of
Speech-Language Pathology oi Auuiology. They aie locateu on the siues of the pages
anu although noticeable, they aie not uistiacting. This is just anothei way the
website uses to communicate with theii auuience. Auveitisements aie both ielevant
anu possibly peitinent to piofessionals visiting the website. At the bottom of the
homepage theie aie also uiffeient foims of social meuia that ASBA uses ("Ameiican
speech-language-heaiing association:," 2u14). This shows how the website is
staying cuiiant on a multituue of platfoims.
The ASBA website is a gieat iesouice that shoulu be taken auvantage of by
all SLPs as well as any stuuents inteiesteu in Speech-Language Pathology as a
caieei. The values mentioneu anu the types of wiiting listeu initially can all be founu
on this website. Theie aie a multituue of iesouices that this site make ieauily
available. Fiom explaining the qualifications neeueu to piactice as a ceitifieu SLP to
cuiient news anu policy changes, ASBA pioviues piofessionals a simple anu easy
way to stay cuiient in theii fielu. It ieflects the main values of the Speech-Language
Pathologist community by connecting piofessionals with a vaiiety of knowleuge foi
theii fielu.







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Refeiences


ASBA. !"#$% %'( )*(+,-). /0((-'12).3$)3(1'()+,.3 )//#-,)%,#. 4)/')5. (2u14).
Retiieveu fiom http:www.asha.oigabout

ASBA. !*(+,-). /0((-'12).3$)3(1'()+,.3 )//#-,)%,#.6 7)8,.3 (99(-%,:(
-#**$.,-)%,#.; ) '$*). +,3'%; )--(//,"2( ).< )-',(:()"2( 9#+ )22. (2u14).
Retiieveu fiom http:www.asha.oig

ASBA. =(.(9,%/ #9 )/') *(*"(+/',0. (2u14). Retiieveu fiom
http:www.asha.oigmembeisbenefits

ASBA> ?)+((+/ ,. /0((-'12).3$)3( 0)%'#2#3@. (2u14). Retiieveu fiom
http:www.asha.oigcaieeispiofessionscaieeis-in-speech-language-
pathology

ASBA. A(+*/ #9 $/( 9#+ #$+ B(" /,%(. (2u14). Retiieveu fiom
http:www.asha.oigsitehelpteims_of_use






*I uon't believe that this piece will be useu as an auuition to my piofessional
poitfolio. The focus of this papei uoes not coinciue with the puipose of what I woulu
like foi my poitfolio.