Speech-Language Pathologist in Home Health: Everything You Need to Know

Could Your Child Benefit from a Speech Language Pathologist?

Speech-language pathology is a broad field, and many people don’t know what speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can do for children. People tend to refer to these specialists as speech therapists, but SLPs are much more than that. Pediatric speech therapy can help children with a variety of delays and disorders, from mild delays in articulation to complex disorders like hearing impairment, autism, or Down syndrome.

Speech-language pathologist aiding a child in Houston, TX

What Is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

A speech-language pathologist is a highly trained specialist who has been through several educational layers to obtain licensure and certification. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a speech-language pathologist must complete a post-graduate clinical fellowship before undergoing rigorous testing to obtain an SLP license. The final step is earning the Speech-Language Pathology Certificate of Clinical Competence, from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and then maintaining this certification through continuing education. Speech-language pathologists work with many different types of patients, including people who speak with a stutter. In pediatrics, speech therapy is often provided for babies who have difficulty swallowing, and children with language delays.

What Does a Speech-Language Pathologist Do?

Speech-language pathologists evaluate communication or swallowing difficulties, diagnose problems, create a personal treatment plan, provide therapy, and maintain records tracking their patients’ progress. Pediatric speech and learning therapy often involve fun activities that strengthen certain weaknesses but feel like play. Speech therapy for kids could be games that stimulate word comprehension, retrieval, or conversation, or activities like blowing a whistle. Early intervention speech therapy activities can include sensory play, reading to the child, and singing. Common types of kids’ speech therapy services include early intervention speech therapy for toddlers who are slow to develop speech, therapy for apraxia, which is the difficulty with producing certain sounds, or aphasia, the difficulty with language expression and understanding. It can also include therapy for children who stutter, or who have trouble swallowing.

Communication and Language Disorders

Speech therapy is often associated with fixing a speech impediment, like a stutter. There are actually two types of communication disorders addressed by speech therapy: cognitive and social. Cognitive disorders make it difficult for a person to speak, listen, read, or write, while social communication disorders affect things like greetings, asking questions, speaking appropriately for a situation, and engaging in conversation. Pediatric speech therapy addresses a wide array of communication and language disorders, including:

  • Aphasia– This occurs when damage to the brain causes difficulty speaking or understanding others.
  • Auditory Processing Disorder– This is difficulty understanding the meaning of sounds.
  • Apraxia– This is a condition in which the brain struggles to direct the movements of the muscles used to speak.
  • Articulation Disorders– What you may think of as speech therapy, is the inability to form certain sounds, like “th” or “r”.
  • Stuttering– This occurs when the flow of speech is broken by pauses and repetition.
  • Resonance Disorders– An obstruction such as a cleft palate causes these disorders.
  • Dysarthria- A weakness in the muscles used in speech can be caused by a brain injury.

Essential Personality Traits for Speech-Language Pathologists

Especially for pediatric or early childhood intervention speech therapy, a speech-language pathologist must be loving and caring, with a strong drive to help others. An SLP’s job requires encouragement, understanding, and patience, often with patients and families who are emotionally demanding. Successful speech-language pathologists are people who are curious and genuinely interested in problem-solving, as well as driven to stay informed and pursue further education in their field. SLPs need to be responsible, reliable, mentally stable, and physically healthy because while this career is very rewarding, it can also be draining. A stable, healthy speech therapist can successfully help others with therapies that lead to physical and mental improvement.

The Role of a Speech-Language Pathologist in Home Health Care

There is a wide range of career opportunities for speech-language pathologists, from providing speech therapy, early intervention, and other programs in schools, to working in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. One particularly beneficial type of speech-language therapy is provided through home health care services, with the SLP working in the patient’s home. Because people, particularly children, are more comfortable in their home environments, home health care SLPs can make great progress with their patients. What’s more, having a speech-language pathologist come to the person’s home makes it easier for caregivers to join in the therapies. For elderly people and children who rely on their caregivers, this is especially important. In-home speech-language pathologists must be flexible and at ease working in new environments, as their role involves seeing a variety of patients while commuting to their homes on rotating schedules. A day in the life of a speech-language pathologist typically includes seeing seven or eight patients in their homes, providing initial assessments, therapy, and ongoing reassessments, all in the service of helping patients with speech, language, augmentative communication, and feeding. Home health SLPs also coordinate with other therapists, doctors, and specialists, to provide comprehensive care to their patients.

Choose the Daisy Way for the Highest Quality Care

If you’re looking for a specialist trained in pediatric and early intervention speech therapy techniques, look to Daisy Kids Care. Locally owned and operated, Daisy Kids Care works hard to maintain a reputation as the best pediatric healthcare provider in the region. Our team of licensed and certified professionals is here to help, dedicated to meeting your child’s needs, whether that entails private-duty home healthcare or any of our wide array of therapy services. We do same-week evaluations, and you will never be put on a waitlist, but will always get the support you need when you need it. We’ve been voted one of the TOP Pediatric Home Health Agencies in Houston, and our mission is to improve the lives of patients 0 to 21 years of age, offering personalized care for the children we serve and a reliable support system for their families. Contact us through our website for more information, or call (713) 766-3849 for nursing or (346) 536-5834 for therapy.