May is BETTER SPEECH AND HEARING MONTH

• For over 75 years May has been designated as Better Hearing and Speech Month -- a time to raise public awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the various forms of communication impairments to include those of hearing, speech, language, and voice. Communication impairments affect the most vulnerable in our society -- the young, the aged, the disabled, and the poor.
• Speech-Language Pathology (Speech-Language Pathologists) and Audiology (Audiologists) are the professions concerned with the prevention, identification, and treatment of communication impairments. After earning a master’s degree (consisting of required coursework and practicum experiences), passing a national examination, and serving a yearlong clinical internship, these professionals are eligible for certification, in the form of the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (Both of these professions were rated among the top 50 for job satisfaction in recent Jobs Rated Almanac.)

• The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that approximately 43,000,000 people in the United States suffer from a speech, voice, language, or hearing impairment. Almost 28,000,000 suffer from a hearing loss. Approximately 10 percent of children have moderate to severe communication impairments, including speech production/articulation, stuttering, and language-learning difficulties. Children with speech and language impairments are 4 to 5 times more likely than their peers to experience other language-learning disabilities to include significant reading problems. Approximately 1,000,000 people in the United States have aphasia – a language disorder resulting from brain damage caused by a stroke.

• Audiologists test hearing, prescribe hearing aids and assistive listening devices, and they can teach people with hearing loss how to make the most of the sounds they hear. Audiologists must possess a graduate degree and are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. They work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, and other health and educational settings.

 

• Speech and language disorders take many forms such as speech, articulation, voice, stuttering, aphasia, and oral language problems. They may be learning based, acquired, or the result of accidental injury or illness at any age. Speech and language disorders can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement. "Fortunately, most people with speech and language problems can be helped," said Dr. Michael W. Casby, of the Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders, and Oyer Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at Michigan State University. "Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. People may not fully develop or regain their capacity to speak and understand, but a speech-language pathologist can help them achieve an improved quality of life."
• Speech-language pathologists are the professionals who treat various aspects of all types of speech, language, voice, stuttering, hearing, and related disorders. They hold at least a master’s degree and are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Speech-language pathologists work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, and other health and education settings.

INFORMATION taken from the Michigan State University Communicative Disorders Department Website