What other certifications do you know about about that lend themselves well to Speech Language Pathology?

March 1, 2011 4:47 PM

What other certifications do you know about about that lend themselves well, or directly, to Speech Language Pathology?

I'm interested in learning about different certifications that can help broaden my knowledge in SLP. I've recently read about getting certification in the use/administration of various tools, therapy programs and so forth-- such as the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, HANEN Program, ABA, even Dyslexia Specialist.

What other certifications do you know about about that lend themselves well, or directly, to Speech Language Pathology?

posted by UsagiBride to Education (4 answers total)

This is tough because there is such a difference between the medical and school setting. Are you in a medical career? I'm an SLP in the schools, but I still am drawn to the medical side and don't want to lose my medically-based skills. It's also a good question because speech therapy is sooo broad! I often feel like a Jane-of-all-trades.

I forget exactly what it's called, but you can also get a specialist license in different speech categories, such as articulation, stuttering, swallowing, etc. One of my professors had one in stuttering and said getting it was "harder than climbing a mountain, but easier than entering space." It's probably on the ASHA website, but it seems more like a self-guided, long-term study thing.

Everything you mentioned is good! There's also Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation (DPNS) for swallowing therapy.

One thing that has been amazingly helpful to me is visual phonics! It's a system of visual hand movements to represent what the articulators do, designed to help deaf kids learn phonology and how to pronounce sounds. I use it with my artic kids, and did a two-day workshop to get certified.

Are you certified in PECS (Picture Exchange Communication Systems)? I went to a two-day course this year and I felt like it was a PECS cult, but I do believe in the program for some students.

(Also, I'm interested in Lee Silverman, too, but am turned off by the yearly-renewal and associated fees. I'd like to become certified and do some PRN work or private work on the side with Parkinson's patients, but Lee Silverman is pretty expensive for what it is, I think.)
posted by shortyJBot at 5:02 PM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you are a member of ASHA, check out the message boards on the ASHA website. There are many certification programs out there in addition to continuing education opportunities. What population and setting do you work with now? Are you interested in changing that? I find that the certification courses you mentioned are pretty costly and I would only choose one that has a direct use in my day-to-day work with clients.
posted by coolsara at 7:20 PM on March 1, 2011

Not sure if this is relevant but the SLP program at my school is considering adding an American Sign Language certification.
posted by Jagz-Mario at 11:43 AM on March 2, 2011

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), SCERTS, Floortime, are all ASD interventions which are socially based and would coordinate will with SLP certification. Feel free to memail me if you want more info on RDI (IAA RDI Consultant). PROMPT for Apraxia can be really effective and gives you an additional edge as an SLP.
posted by kch at 1:54 PM on March 2, 2011