Special Needs

Speech therapist vs Speech Pathologist

What is the difference? I am trying to line one up for my ds, but I am lost as far as which would be more qualified to work with my ds.

Re: Speech therapist vs Speech Pathologist

  • Hi,  I was just surfing The Bump and came across this board.  To answer your questions they are the same thing.  I am a speech language therapist/pathologist.  We go by both depending on where you are at or who the person is.  I introduce myself as both.



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  • I'm a Speech Language Pathologist. ?We are also called speech therapists. ?Ask about their licenses and credentials. ?You can also go to www.asha.org and find a professional in your area. ?Good luck!
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  • Thank you! I am going off my insurance list and they have them sectioned off.
  • It is strange that they would have two different groups but your insurance is obviously differentiating somehow.  Typically the term means the same thing, like the previous posters said (I am one, too!).  

    But there are also Speech Assistance, or sometimes they might be called Speech Teachers.  There are probably a lot of other names.  The difference would be a graduate degree vs. an undergraduate degree in speech, or they might not have a degree in speech at all but have something in education.  Sometimes they are monitored by a licensed SLP - I still would not recommend their services because I would rather you get therapy directly from the person with the better training!

    I would very highly recommend that you get a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).  You can find this info from ASHA (our national governing body, www.asha.org).  These people would have a Master's in Speech.

    A therapist with a graduate degree in speech should have the letters "CCC-SLP" after their name to indicate that they went through an ASHA approved course of study (Certification of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology).  That is very important.  They would also typically put their degree after their name - when I sign a treatment note, it would read "Cranberry27, M.A., CCC-SLP"  You might see M.S. or M.A.

    A therapist in their first year is still earning their credentials, and would write "CF" or "CF-SLP" to indicate that they are a Clinical Fellow.  They are strictly monitored by a certified clinician and are on their way to being full therapists.

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  • Also a speech therapist/speech language pathologist - as previous posters said, look for a masters degree and "CCC-SLP"

    and asha.org for more info.

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