Speech-Language Pathologists

Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics, and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.

• Use computer applications to identify and assist with communication disabilities.

• Provide communication instruction to dialect speakers or students with limited English proficiency.

• Participate in conferences or training, or publish research results, to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.

• Refer clients to additional medical or educational services if needed.

• Conduct lessons and direct educational or therapeutic games to assist teachers dealing with speech problems.

• Design, develop, and employ alternative diagnostic or communication devices and strategies.

• Communicate with non-speaking students, using sign language or computer technology.

• Instruct patients and family members in strategies to cope with or avoid communication-related misunderstandings.

• Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.

Back to top

Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

• Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

• Education: A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

• Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

• Examples: These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, physicists, school psychologists, and surgeons.

• Svp range: (8.0 and above)

Back to top

Knowledge

Browse Knowledge

• Therapy and Counseling
  Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

• Education and Training
  Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Customer and Personal Service
  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Clerical
  Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Sociology and Anthropology
  Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Communications and Media
  Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Back to top

Skills

Browse Skills

• Learning Strategies
  Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Instructing
  Teaching others how to do something.

• Reading Comprehension
  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Speaking
  Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Active Learning
  Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Social Perceptiveness
  Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Coordination
  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Monitoring
  Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Active Listening
  Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Critical Thinking
  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Back to top

Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Inductive Reasoning
  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Problem Sensitivity
  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Hearing Sensitivity
  The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

• Oral Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Speech Clarity
  The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Originality
  The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

• Flexibility of Closure
  The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Back to top

Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

• Processing Information
  Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

• Getting Information
  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Developing Objectives and Strategies
  Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

• Analyzing Data or Information
  Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

• Thinking Creatively
  Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Back to top

Work Context

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Structured versus Unstructured Work
  To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

• Freedom to Make Decisions
  How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

• Frequency of Decision Making
  How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
  How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?

• Physical Proximity
  To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Back to top

Interests

Browse Interests

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Back to top

Work Styles

• Integrity
  Job requires being honest and ethical.

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Concern for Others
  Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

• Independence
  Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Self Control
  Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

• Social Orientation
  Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

• Initiative
  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Back to top

Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Social Service
  Workers on this job have work where they do things for other people.

• Achievement
  Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.

• Achievement-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

• Ability Utilization
  Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.

• Co-workers
  Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.

• Relationships-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

• Authority
  Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.

• Creativity
  Workers on this job try out their own ideas.

• Security
  Workers on this job have steady employment.

• Working Conditions
  Workers on this job have good working conditions.

Back to top