What Is a Speech Pathologist?

A Sure-Start-Health speech pathologist Adelaide is a speech therapist who treats different types of communication disorders such as stuttering, auditory dyslexia, autism, and mental retardation. They evaluate patients with these conditions and help them through various therapeutic interventions to facilitate communication. A speech pathologist in Adelaide specialises in treating the communication problems of people with developmental disabilities. The field of speech pathology has an excellent reputation because the Australian Government and private medical facilities recognise its importance.

 

The need for speech pathologist Adelaide became apparent in the early nineties when there was an unprecedented increase in the number of children diagnosed with different communication disorders. The number of children with autism doubled between the years 1996 and 2021. In response to this rise, the South Australian Government allocated resources to develop a centre for autism care. In the meantime, there was a sudden expansion in the services provided by the different pediatric healthcare service providers. Thus, speech pathology in Adelaide was required and developed to cater to the country’s specific needs of the autistic community.

 

Specialisation in the treatment of autism and other intellectual disabilities is the basis for speech pathology in Adelaide. Some different specialisations are clinical diagnostics, audiology, cardiology, gastroenterology, pediatrics and geriatrics. Pediatric speech pathologist in Adelaide specialises in dealing with children with autism. They would be responsible for assessing the health of the child and conducting diagnostic tests. They might also refer the patient to an appropriate specialist, especially if there is concern that they may have a severe neurological disorder. Speech pathology in Adelaide also deals with hearing and communication impairment, developmental disabilities and the elderly.

 

The area of specialisation in Sure-Start-Health speech pathologist Adelaide involves a wide range of studies. They include assessment and treatment of speech articulation disorders, acquisition and language development, understanding of human speech articulation; speech perception and auditory communication; communication therapy and occupational and social skills development. The appropriate health authorities would refer the patient to a speech pathologist in Adelaide in the region. For example, the family doctor might refer the patient to speech pathologist Adelaide to assess and treat a child with autism. After assessment and diagnosis, the family doctor might take the child to a Sure-Start-Health speech pathologist Adelaide for further treatment.

 

In terms of the training, a speech pathology graduate student in Adelaide would have a one-year diploma in related disciplines of speech pathology, voice recognition, articulation, phonetics, physiology and anatomy. The training would include a foundation in mathematics to prepare for clinical experience and six months of practical training in local practices and hospital settings. The Australian National Health Examination Program (ANEP) is also considered the accreditation body for speech pathologists in Australia. The applicant must successfully pass both the written and clinical examinations to obtain a professional doctorate.