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A speech pathologist’s duties typically entail:

• Evaluating and assessing patients’ speech, language, or swallowing abilities. • Identifying the cause(s) of speech impediments. • Designing and implementing treatments and thera- pies for a specific patient’s needs. • Teaching patients how to make sounds, speak, and communicate in various ways. • Working with patients to strengthen the muscles used to swallow. • Offering counseling to family members of patients with communication problems. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 7.5 million people in the United States have trouble communicating or using their voices in some way. Communication issues can range from dif- ficulty with certain syllables or sounds to having no communi- cation or vocal skills at all. A speech pathologist works with

people who have problems with speech and language proficiency and fluency. Among the key issues speech pathologists address are speech, language, social communication, and swal- lowing disorders. Speech disorders may encom- pass difficulty producing speech

Did You Know?

It is estimated that 40 million Americans have communication disorders, costing the United States approximately $154 billion to $186 billion each year.

What Is a Speech-Language Pathologist?

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