Speech Pathologist
What the work is
Provides diagnostic assessment and management of disorders of communication and swallowing through direct intervention, education, consultancy, advocacy, or a combination of these approaches across the lifespan.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assesses and administers standardised and informal tests and observes the person to determine the nature and extent of communication disorders or swallowing difficulties
- Provides services for the treatment and management of communication difficulties including speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice across the lifespan
- Provides services for the treatment and management of swallowing difficulties to assist with oral eating and drinking, sucking, saliva control, mealtime participation and protecting lungs from food, drink and saliva
- Provides information to other Health Professionals, Early Childhood Educators and teachers
- Provides support and counselling to individuals affected by communication and swallowing difficulties, and to their families and carers
- Reports results of assessments and tests in writing, and makes referrals to Medical Practitioners and other services as required
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a children's therapy clinic, with weekly visits to a primary school. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A four-year-old who has barely spoken says their first sentence to their mum
- An adult finally tells their story clearly after months of work
- A teacher says the strategies you shared have changed how the whole class talks
Hard days
- A waiting list that is longer than anyone wants it to be
- A parent who is desperate for progress faster than a child can make it
- Planning a session that falls apart in the first two minutes because a child is having a bad day
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 262631, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.