Did you know?
At a recent party, I overheard someone relate to a professional colleague that they only referred to a certain speech-language pathology clinic because some clinics were “only in it for the profit.” This statement could imply that some licensed professionals provided unnecessary clinical services. Can the same statement be made regarding other professions? Does the surgeon just do surgery because it’s profitable? Does the dentist perform a root canal rather than fill a cavity because this procedure pays more? Or is it because an x-ray/CT/MRI or laboratory test identified problems that required intervention? Thinking that any speech language pathologists provide unnecessary services for profit would be an unfortunate misconception.
How does the speech-language pathologist determine if therapy (intervention) is necessary?
Speech-language pathologists (or SLPs) do treat some swallowing disorders identified by fluoroscopic or fiber optic endoscopic evaluation, but not all disorders are identified through the use of these diagnostic measures. Standardized testing is used to evaluate and quantify some speech and language disorders. These tests are developed using years of accumulated data that identify the age at which specific speech and language skills emerge. These testing instruments are then extensively evaluated to determine if they indeed do assess specific communication skills and what represents a mean or normal performance for large groups of children/adults of a specific age (normalization). The data is then incorporated into testing instruments for the use of qualified professionals to aid in the assessment of communication skills, just as the doctor uses laboratory findings to determine health status with reference to specific functions.
For example, we have all had blood drawn for laboratory testing. Even though there can be slight variations in each laboratory, there are guidelines as when results are abnormal. These guidelines are based upon what is considered normal limits, which is determined from accumulated data collected from large groups of people. The physician does not use laboratory data without additional information – family history, symptoms, etc.
Similarly, the SLP also considers both standardized testing to compare an individual’s performance on standardized tests to the normative data and other evidence and reports of communicative function in determining if there is a need for intervention. The SLP uses all information gathered to decide whether an individual has a communication, swallowing or cognitive disorder. Only a fully licensed SLP or SLP intern should perform and interpret these procedures. There are many qualified and experienced SLP’s in the Austin area – all of whom evaluate and recommend treatment based upon the same set of practice standards.
