I'm thinking about becoming a speech pathologist. Does anyone have experience doing this, what's it like?

Question

I'm a junior psychology student at UCSC. I have 3 siblings with autism, and want to work with children with autism.

Answer 1

wonderful!  sounds like we have a similarity in how we found the field of speech-language pathology.  

i have autism within my family, as well as parkinson's.  i originally went into sports medicine/pre-physical therapy in college, and stumbled upon SLP when looking for a minor during my sophomore summer.  it dawned on me how much contact my family had with SLPs throughout our life, and how much knowledge i already had about the field through life experiences.  im willing to guess that you might feel the same way too once you start taking some coursework!  

i would encourage you to finish out your bachelor's in psychology at ucsc, as well as search out what classes that are required to enter into a master's program for SLP.  i attended the university of the pacific in stockton, calif, and they have a great two-year graduate program for students who obtained a bachelors in another major.  since psych is a related field, you probably dont need too many more undergraduate classes to enter into a direct 15 month program for SLP that UOP offers.  there are also many other universities that offer graduate programs for SLP, but take a tad longer.  

as for being an SLP, it is incredibly rewarding and challenging.  there is a wide array of places you can work in; hospital, hospice care, skilled nursing facilities, schools, clinics, private practice, universities, or even large companies for accent reduction.  there are also many different populations to work with; birth to 3 early intervention, autism, severely handicapped, deaf and hard of hearing, stroke patients, tramatic brain injury, etc.  and i think it goes without saying that this career is in high demand EVERYWHERE in every setting.  

given your background, i think you would be an excellent candidate to become an SLP.  i really hope you follow through and pursue it!

Answer 2

I have a degree in Speech Pathology and I mainly work with adults with Autism. It is the most rewarding profession anyone can get into.

I mainly work with my individuals on Augmentive Communication - which is other forms of communication (sign language, picture boards, gestures, assistive devices, etc.). I focus less on the phonemic + articulation side of SLP. If you have the knowledge and heart to do, go right on ahead.

Given the fact that you are in your junior year at UCSC, it might be wiser to finish your psych degree, then go back and get a masters in SLP. Or take an extra year to get a minor in SLP or Special Education.

I work at a training facility for special needs adults. There is practically ever profession from Occupational Therapy to Cooks here on campus. Even Pyschologists who specialize in working with Adults with Autism.

If you need more information feel free to email me.

Answer 3

you are on the right path

Answer 4

the general idea i get from wikipedia is as a speech pathologist you would be helping individuals gain or regain the ability to communicate (in all aspects, like talking, writing, reading, memory, etc.) or swallow.

from my personal experience:

my sister went to a speech pathologist because she had mis-learned how to "interpret" the sounds for the letters j, f, and g, and she had a lisp. The speech pathologist worked with her for a year or so and she now speaks like everyone else, although she still has trouble with sounding certain words out, but the help from the pathologist has made it a lot easier for her than what it was.

i hope this provides some insight for you!

good luck!