With the development of modern technologies in the field of medicine and psychology, a very interesting profession, a speech therapist, is gaining immense popularity. Let's find out what kind of specialist he is, what tasks he solves and what are the advantages of working as a speech therapist.
Who are speech therapists?
These are specialists who correct speech defects using various corrective techniques. They work with both children and adults. For example, very often elderly people who have had a stroke lose their speech abilities, in such cases one profession becomes indispensable - a speech therapist! It is he who draws up an individual treatment plan, according to which speech defects such as burr, stuttering or lisp are eliminated. Almost all young children experience these problems, many of them go away on their own as they grow up, but some need special help.
How did this profession come about?
Speech therapy is a relatively new speci alty, it appeared about 50-60 years ago, when people stopped thinking that problems with pronunciation were associated with physical disabilities. Western doctors were the first to determine the nature of the manifestation of speech defects and from the middle of the twentieth century began toapply psychological methods to eliminate them. Modern techniques allow you to achieve very impressive results in a short time.
Profession speech pathologist-defectologist: features and social significance
It is necessary to make out what type of profession this speci alty belongs to. It is believed that a speech therapist is a person who combines a talented teacher and an experienced doctor. He must accurately determine the cause of the speech defect and competently compose effective exercises and techniques to eliminate problems. To do this, a professional speech therapist should know thoroughly how human physiology works, in particular the structure of the speech system and the pathologies associated with it. In addition, a good specialist must have special skills, for example, the ability to do speech therapy massage to relax the muscles of the larynx and other organs of the pharynx.
It can be said without exaggeration that a speech therapist is the profession of the future. After all, it is he who teaches people to speak correctly, and speech is the most important component of the communications of all mankind: thanks to it, we can communicate with others, share thoughts and transmit information.
Often a person who has speech disorders feels inferior, he may have serious complexes that negatively affect his whole life. That is why the profession of "speech therapist" is indispensable, these specialists eliminate many speech defects, teach how to pronounce sounds correctly and thereby practically change the fate of a person. In addition, they also provide psychological assistance: they help to integrate into society, adapt a person to social life and contribute to his development in terms of self-improvement.
What qualities should a speech therapist have?
In fact, a speech therapist is a kind of teacher who must show great patience and understanding to his students. The most important character traits are love for children, patience, emotional restraint, calmness, curiosity, perseverance, perseverance and endurance, because the results of the work done often make you wait a very long time. With some people, it takes more than 2-3 years to see visible improvements.
If it is easier to work with kids, because they learn quickly, then the situation is different with adults. Few are able to admit their shortcomings and go to a specialist. For this reason, a professional speech therapist should be able to find an individual approach to everyone, be able to tactfully clarify the problem and, without hurting the patient's feelings, provide primary consulting assistance. Therefore, it does not hurt for a specialist to know at least the basics of human psychology.
A speech therapist must be responsible, because he has no right to make a mistake in making a diagnosis. If he incorrectly identifies the problem and prescribes an ineffective treatment method, then this can turn into a real tragedy for patients: speech defects tend to lose their ability to correct over time, so it is very important to eliminate the shortcomings in time. Over time fromthey will be much more difficult to get rid of, which is why the speech therapist has such a big responsibility.
Where to study as a specialist?
There are many options where you can get a profession (speech therapist or defectologist) on various conditions. Usually, this speci alty is taught in higher educational institutions: these can be universities or institutes with a pedagogical or humanitarian direction. The education of a speech therapist must be special, i.e. having a diploma of higher education in the relevant or related profession is a must.
Many students, after completing the first courses, begin to realize that they made a mistake with the choice of profession and want to change it. For such, another option for obtaining education in the speci alty "speech therapy" is possible. The easiest way is to take intensive training courses for speech pathologists. However, in order to get a job in the civil service, you will need a diploma of higher specialized education.
Employment
Despite the fact that every year a huge number of speech therapists graduate from universities throughout the country, the need for these specialists is only increasing. This is primarily due to improvements in state social programs aimed at providing free assistance to children with disabilities.
After graduating from institutes or universities, young professionals have the opportunity to get a job in various institutions. Most Popularof them are kindergartens, polyclinics, children's development centers with logogroups, schools with a functioning logopoint. Rehabilitation hospitals for the elderly and, of course, private treatment centers.
There are many advantages to working in kindergartens: the opportunity to contact with children and get to know them better, a fixed schedule, as well as communication with colleagues and a pleasant environment.
The disadvantages of the profession of a speech therapist, if he works in public clinics, are related to filling out various documentation. Sometimes it takes more time to process it than directly to work with patients. By standards, a specialist must work 18-20 hours a week, this is not so much compared to other speci alties.
Profession speech therapist. Pros and cons of work
This is a very responsible job that requires great patience and love for what you do. Let's take a closer look at the main advantages of this profession. So, here are the main pros:
- short working day - 4 hours, for many this is a great opportunity to combine work and favorite business;
- socially significant activity - this means that the speech therapist will enjoy the work done;
- long vacation - almost all summer;
- self-improvement - this profession involves the constant self-development of a person, reading educational literature, attending various thematic conferences, where you can discuss the latest methods of treating speech disorders with colleagues.
And of course, this advantage cannot be excluded from the listspeech therapists as an opportunity to conduct private practice. What are the disadvantages?
Pitfalls
Thanks to the free schedule, which is set by the specialist himself, this profession may seem attractive. However, it has many specific features, which for some may turn into disadvantages. Here are the most obvious disadvantages of this profession:
- emotionally difficult work, because patients are mostly children with various disabilities and diseases (with Down syndrome, etc.);
- the need to fill out reporting documentation at odd hours, that is, speech therapists do not receive an increase in the basic salary for maintaining documents in public institutions;
- there is no guarantee that the work done will bring any results, so many speech therapists face huge disappointment, so they need perseverance and perseverance to continue with treatment.
Who else needs speech therapists?
Very often, speech pathologists-defectologists begin to engage in private practice, helping a variety of people. In addition to children with speech disorders, elderly people who have had a stroke, and even professional actors, seek help.
If you decide that this is your calling - the profession of "speech therapist", reviews about it should be carefully studied, and it is from the professionals themselves. Judging by the messages on various thematic forums, this is an extremely difficult job that requirescomplete dedication. The main plus is the opportunity to engage in private lessons with children or adults, for example, give lessons in public speaking to novice actors or managers of trading companies.
