Speech therapist (Logopedist)
Information on this skill...
A speech therapist is a paramedical therapist who specializes in speech therapy. Speech therapy involves the treatment of communication disorders of both children and adults. Children and adults may have different communication disorders, which can be caused in different ways, such as language problems, voice problems, mouth problems, swallowing problems, hearing problems and motor problems. A speech therapy disorder can therefore be caused in different ways and can relate to children and adults, including babies who have swallowing problems. The speech therapist will use speech therapy techniques to improve these problems. In most cases, a speech therapist will first extensively examine new clients in order to determine exactly which disorder the client in question has. After the speech therapy examination, the speech therapist can draw up a treatment plan. The work of a speech therapist can be regarded as important work because the speech therapist helps clients in their self-reliance. A speech therapist should be seen as a paramedical therapist, who is responsible for advising and training people regarding the primary oral functions. The implementation of preventive measures is also part of the work of a speech therapist. The term paramedical refers to the fact that a speech therapist may perform certain medical procedures independently, despite the fact that a speech therapist is not a doctor. It is not the case that a speech therapist only has to deal with people who have a certain disorder. A speech therapist can also train people who have a lot to do with communication. Think, for example, of actors, presenters and spokespersons. Well-known problems for which people come into contact with a speech therapist are, for example, slurping and stuttering.
As a speech therapist, you treat different people who have a disorder with regard to communication. In most cases, people are referred to a speech therapist by a general practitioner, rehabilitation doctor, ENT doctor or teachers, who identify problems related to communication. A rehabilitation doctor helps people in their self-reliance, of which the speech therapist can also be a part. As described earlier, a speech therapist is a paramedical therapist, who provides preventive care, training and advice regarding the primary oral functions, hearing, voice, language and speech. A speech therapist will not focus on healing conditions, but will focus on learning to live with a condition as well as possible or remedying the condition through training.
SPEECH THERAPY PROBLEM SIGNALS
Most people know the speech therapist as someone who helps young children. This is because it is important within speech therapy to identify possible speech therapy problems at an early stage, such as in children. When a speech therapist works with children, one sometimes speaks of preventive speech therapy. Preventive speech therapy is important for preventing possible speech and language problems. By identifying possible problems at an early stage, it is possible to prevent speech disorders and/or language disorders in the future. In most cases, this means that the speech therapist visits playgroups, daycare centers or schools to identify possible problems in children. It is also possible that children are referred by a pediatrician or youth doctor.
WHAT DOES A SPEECH THERAPIST DO:
- Performing speech therapy tests;
- Drawing up treatment plans;
- Training people (making them understandable);
- Giving memory training;
- Training deaf and hard of hearing (articulation and volume);
- The preventive examination of children;
- Training professional voice users (actor, presenter);
- Training for swallowing and chewing problems;
- Consulting with other specialists.
WHAT DOES A SPEECH THERAPIST DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A SPEECH THERAPIST
To be able to work as a speech therapist, it is best to follow the Hbo course speech therapy. In most cases, the programme is full-time and will take about four years to complete, depending on your previous education. During the speech therapist training, a lot of attention is paid to anatomy, pathology, physiology, psychiatry and neurology. But other subjects are also important during the training, such as voice disorders, linguistics, audiology and language development disorders. During most courses, you will regularly do an internship and have to complete practical assignments. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A SPEECH THERAPIST CAN BE EMPLOYED
As a speech therapist, you can work for different employers. Think, for example, of schools, care institutions, deaf institutes and rehabilitation centers, and you can work as an entrepreneur within your own practice. Speech therapists can also work within nursing homes and nursing homes. Among the speech therapists there are relatively speaking many entrepreneurs, who may have to deal with different clients, depending on the chosen specialization.
COMPETENCES SPEECH THERAPIST
The most important competence of a speech therapist is the professional knowledge of speech therapy. As a speech therapist, it is also very important to be able to observe because your clients have difficulty with their expression. Communication must also be regarded as an important competence because you have to deal with many different people. Generally important words are motivating, empathy, inspiring, analyzing, planning, organizing, consulting, collaborating, training, coaching and independence. If you work as an entrepreneur, networking can also be important.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A SPEECH THERAPIST
The labour market perspective of a speech therapist is good if you have the right training. Most speech therapists have no trouble obtaining work. It is true that relatively speaking, many speech therapists work as entrepreneurs. The career opportunities of a speech therapist should be seen in starting your own practice. In addition, a speech therapist can further specialize within certain target groups to become a specialist.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY SPEECH THERAPIST
In most cases, you will work as a speech therapist according to an established collective labour agreement, but this may differ per institution where you work. For work as a speech therapist, it may be necessary to travel a lot, such as when you visit certain schools as a speech therapist. A speech therapist in paid employment generally earns a decent salary because the speech therapist is well-trained and has responsible work. A speech therapist in paid employment earns between 2400 and 3800 gross per month, depending on his age and years of service. An independently working speech therapist can usually earn a lot more than in paid employment, but will then have to be able to attract enough clients. Which will not always be self-evident.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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