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The professionals who are educated to assess speech and language development and to treat language and speech disorders are speech-language pathologists (sometimes informally referred to as speech therapists). Speech-language pathologists can also help people with swallowing and feeding disorders, developmental disorders and learning disabilities, voice training, accent and dialect reduction, and general overall communicative effectiveness.
Most speech-language pathologists are qualified to assess and treat both children and adults. A speech therapist may see children to assess and treat some of the following: language acquisition difficulties, developmental disorders, learning disabilities, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), craniofacial anomalies, feeding and swallowing difficulties, voice disorders, and articulation therapy. Adults can be seen by a speech therapist to assist with the following: voice disorders, accent and dialect reduction, feeding and swallowing problems, aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria, head and neck cancer, laryngeal cancer, traumatic brain injury, aneurysms, strokes, and degenerative diseases.
The CCC-SLP certification by the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA) for speech-language pathologists indicate that the speech therapist has met national competency requirements and attained the highest level of preparation and training. While no one professional knows every answer or has experienced every clinical situation, patients can be confident that no other professionals are better prepared to provide complete services for speech, language, and swallowing disorders than those holders of ASHA certification.
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