Is speech pathology an option?
January 5, 2016 6:27 AM   Subscribe

Is speech pathology a viable career option for someone with a slight stutter and mild high-frequency hearing loss?

So I'm considering the possibility of pursuing a postgraduate degree in speech language pathology. I think it would be a good fit for me in several ways: I've got a strong background in linguistics, including some aphasia-related topics, and some experience working with young people with various developmental disabilities. I also like the idea of working with people one-on-one over time (in comparison to my current, rather solitary, experience of linguistics grad school!).

However, I'm worried that it might not be a viable career choice, given that i) I have a slight stutter myself and ii) some mild high-frequency hearing loss. Does this mean that speech path isn't a realistic option for me? Would be keen to hear from any SLPs on these points -- please be brutal!

A bit more detail: the stutter is mostly controlled through (what else) speech therapy, and, I think, not very noticeable (I 'came out' about it recently to some friends who professed to be surprised). I can hear high-frequency consonants OK, but not well in noisy environments. (I don't use hearing aids.)

I definitely can see why these might be insurmountable challenges to SLP practice, but also can appreciate that there may be some value in having practitioners with first-hand experience of fluency or hearing issues?

Would welcome also any other insights SLPs might have about the field. Thanks!
posted by jejak to Work & Money (7 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Could you ask a local speech therapist for an informational interview? it may be easier for them to give accurate commentary if they are speaking to you personally.
posted by typecloud at 7:25 AM on January 5, 2016


In my experience speech therapists work on a wide range of issues with a wide range of people. Some clients are neurotypical and just need help with articulation. Other clients may have more profound physical disabilities that require the use of assistive communication devices. Others may have Downs Syndrome that affects both cognition and articulation. Others may be on the autism spectrum and be largely non-verbal and/or require work on social interactions.

It may be the case that you aren't a good candidate for helping people with articulation but that you could work in many or all of the other areas. Hopefully some SLPs will chime in with more info and suggestions.
posted by alms at 7:37 AM on January 5, 2016


Best answer: I'm a speech pathologist, and about half of the fluency-specialized SLPs I know are themselves people who stutter. They are all very highly regarded in the field. It gives you a very unique insight into the nature of communication disorders, which in turn can make you a much better therapist. There are also a lot of specializations that don't require you to be able to model fluent speech: augmentative communication and swallowing come to mind in particular.

That said, I suspect you may face some discrimination in the grad school application process as well as some awkward questions during your fluency class.

I don't think being mildly HOH will impact your performance. In fact, if your grad department works closely with an AuD program (as mine did), you can look into getting seriously discounted correction. I have an extremely mild HF hearing loss, too mild to bother correcting, and it's never impeded my work.

Hooray speech! Go for it!
posted by a hat out of hell at 8:10 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


Coincidentally, I was just listening to an episode of the StutterTalk podcast. From their about page it looks as though at least three of their regular podcast hosts (all of whom are people who stutter) are speech pathologists, so it's definitely possible. Episode 514: Stuttering: Reflections on a Career and Assorted Topics seems on point: Bob “the expert” Quesal joins Peter Reitzes to reflect on almost four decades of working in speech-language pathology.

The episode I was listening to happened to be about fluency: Passing As Fluent: A Power Move to Access Able-Bodied Privilege? (Ep. 517).
posted by Lexica at 11:36 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'm a PhD student in audiology at Iowa, which is the highest ranked slp program in the country.

Most of the PhD students in speech here are stutters themselves. In fact, there has been a long debate here since the 50s about whether non-stutters should be treating stutters at all. I also know many audiologists with hearing loss. So I think if anything your issues will only help you, both in the application process and as a clinical.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:13 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I'm a speech pathologist and I work in a public school. I've had colleagues with hearing loss and colleagues who stutter. The SLPs with hearing loss had to be conscientious about their working conditions and work responsibilities. For example, they had to advocate for quieter work areas so they could hear their students. However, it hasn't been too much of a problem.

I've had some really phenomenal colleagues who stutter, and their knowledge and perspective have been really valuable to me as I treat my own students. They also haven't found it to be a problem in treating their own students. However, here's the one down side, since you asked for the brutal truth...every one of my colleagues who stutter has had parents confront them and say something along the lines of, "How can you teach my kid to talk if you can't talk right yourself? If you could really do speech therapy wouldn't you have cured yourself?" Parents can get angry at their kid's SLP for any number of reasons, but that insult is just particularly personal. However, they have faith in their professional skill and they know they're doing great things for their students, so they can shrug it off.

I think that if you want to be a speech pathologist, your fluency and hearing loss are no reason not to go for it. It's a great field! You should do it! Feel free to memail me if you have any questions!
posted by christinetheslp at 1:38 PM on January 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


The stammer is definitely not an issue, though it may be a barrier in some areas, just as I imagine you may find it gets in the way in some other parts of your life. The therapist who interviewed me for my last job has quite a bad stammer, with lots of blocks and repetitions and intrusive behaviours, but she is an amazing stroke therapist and she has embraced the training side of her role.

I'm in the UK and if you had a hearing loss here, you would have to declare it to the registering body that controls all of SLT (equivalent to a licensing body). They would decide if you met the health standards for practice. I would think that a mild hearing loss would be OK as long as you weren't intending to work in an area that relies on analytical listening a great deal. Maybe you could ask ASHA?
posted by kadia_a at 11:19 PM on January 5, 2016


« Older Practical Tips for Time Travelers   |   Help me avoid the wrath of the taxman Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.