Speech Therapist Interview (USA)

1) Where do you work? What is your precise job title?

I work at the Special Education Association of Peoria County, and I am a Speech and
Language Pathologist (SLP). I also have a per diem job at Professional Therapy Services
doing home health services as a SLP.

2) How did you get into this line of work? How did you choose it?
I chose to do this work as a Plan B actually. My first degree and passion was in psychology –
in particular, neuropsychology. I worked at a psychiatric rehab facility, and I noticed most of
the people in their 40s to 60s were burned out. I thought, “I never want to feel that way.” So I
thought about getting a plan B while I was still young. Communication disorders sounded
interesting and played a role in my psychiatric patients. So I looked for a program, and I
applied and got in.

3) What skills do you need to do your work? What was your education or training like?
In order to do my job, I needed to have a master’s degree in communication disorders,
specializing in speech and language pathology. I did 2 years full-time to earn all the
undergraduate core classes of the communication disorders degree. Then I got a job as an
SLP, but I was not allowed to do assessments – just screenings and treatment. While working
full time, I did my graduate courses part-time, and that took me 5 years. I did an internship in
the schools with my job and then also in the hospital setting. The program includes classes
which evolved analysis and critical thinking about speech, hearing, swallowing, and language
development from birth to seniors. This was followed by clinicals (clinical trials or practice)
with patients, where your therapy is observed and evaluated by professors via camera.

4) What are your duties and responsibilities at work?

I do screenings, evaluations, and treatment of speech and language disorders, as well as
swallowing disorders.

5) How much time do you spend with your patients?

It depends upon the severity of the patient’s disorder, and in the hospital setting, it depends on
their insurance coverage.

6) Do you have to spend time on other things such as paperwork?

I spend hours and hours on paperwork: IEPs, evaluation reports, progress reports, emails, etc.
[The Individualized Education Program, also called the IEP, is a document that is developed
for each public-school child who needs special education. The IEP is created through team
effort and reviewed periodically.] I must also program communication devices. This includes
creating visuals and using low-tech communication options.

7) Is there anything about the current system that makes your job difficult?
Would you change it in some way?
The federally mandated amounts of reports and paperwork needed to fill out. The lack of
adequate funding creates problems with overloaded caseloads. I would base a person’s work
parameters on workload rather than caseload.

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 Speech Therapist Interview (USA)

8) Would you recommend this work to anyone or a specific type of person?

Most of the people who are good at this job are people who are Type-A personalities. They
like to do things the “right” way. They are focused on details and are flexible thinkers. They
can see macro learning and how to scaffold down to where you are going with the student’s or
patient’s skills.

9) How much of your workload is spent with children in a school setting?

I have 54 students on my caseload. This is my full time job. I serve these students with 1800
minutes of direct services. I also hold groups in certain classes to improve behavior.

10) Do you prefer this work? Why or why not?

I love working with kids. They are amazing, and they make my job worthwhile every day. I
love them, and they love me. Every day is different. They grow right there before my eyes. It
is wonderful to see them be able to make friends more easily and share things with their
family – helping autistic non-verbal students to finally speak to their family.

11) Since you work with the English language, my Hungarian students would be curious,
what are the most typical speech problems you encounter?
I serve students with mostly articulation (speech) and receptive and expressive language
disorders. I have therapy with students who have apraxia, autism, and also stuttering. Those
are all my specialities. I have students who are typically developing with language and/or
articulation disorders. I serve students who have learning disabilities. I serve students who
have mental illness or emotional problems due to childhood trauma. I serve students with
autism, Down’s Syndrome, impaired cognition (formerly called retarded), genetic syndromes
such as Costello, fragile X, etc.