Things You Should Ask Your Speech Pathologist

When your loved one is suffering from any kind of disorder that affects their basic skills. Such as speech and communication skills, it is important to seek help. In this case, opting for speech therapy would be a great idea.

However, there are various considerations you must make when making your loved one take therapy from a speech pathologist. Here are a few questions you must prepare beforehand to ask your speech pathologist before searching for a speech pathologist near me in Chicago over the internet:

What are your credentials/education/professional training?

It is important to ask your or your loved one’s speech pathologist about his/her education and professional experience. Ask them about their schools, and whether he/she has a Master’s degree. 

You must keep in mind that professional speech therapists must have a Master’s degree, if not a doctorate. This is because a Master’s degree provides therapists with all the necessary training and experience needed in order to work with individuals, especially children. 

As far as experience is concerned, ask the speech pathologist how many years of experience they have. What age group and disorders they have worked with, and what their therapy philosophy is. 

There are also several important skills and qualities you must look for in a speech therapist. Apart from their professional and educational expertise. These include people skills, such as empathy, analytical thinking, good listening skills, patience, and so on.

Another thing you can do during the interview session with the speech therapist is to give them an example of a challenging situation and ask them how they will overcome it. 

Are you a licensed speech pathologist?

Apart from the education and necessary training, it is also crucial to know about the certifications or licenses of the speech therapist. You must have adequate knowledge about the certifications a therapist must have in order to practice. 

In the case of speech therapists, all therapists must have a license by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, and should also have earned the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). This certification is going to tell you everything about that particular speech therapist’s level of expertise, whether they follow ethical standards and how professional they are in this field.

What is going to be your treatment or therapy plan?

Every therapist has a plan to go forward with to treat their patients. Whether it’s your own speech pathologist, or your loved one’s, you must ask them about their plan for you or your loved one. 

Besides that, every speech therapist has a customized and individualized plan for every person. Depending upon their strengths, weaknesses, severity of the disorder. And more, which is why their treatment and therapy plan will be different for every other patient. 

Therefore, you must ask the ultimate treatment plan by the speechs pathologist, and the goals that they want to achieve within the therapy. This will give you a fair idea of all that you. Or your loved one, will be expecting from your speech pathologist.

What formal assessment tools have you used to evaluate patients?

This is another important question to ask the speechs pathologist. Usually, professional speechs therapists make use of these common tools in order to assess their patients to initiate the therapy process: Stroboscopes, ECG, laryngograph, and Adaptive communication switches. 

What will be the total cost of the entire therapy?

The total cost of the therapy is going to depend upon the length of the therapy, the severity of the disorder, and so on. However, in most cases, there are fees for initial assessments, as well as the fees associated with treatment. 

Therefore, you ask the speech pathologist or therapist about any additional costs of the entire therapy. So that you can prepare for the costs beforehand. Moreover, ask whether you’ll be billed per session, or on a monthly basis.

Another wise question you can ask the speech pathologist related to the cost of the therapy is about insurance. You must ask whether insurance is going to cover your or your loved one’s speech therapy sessions.

Am I going to be involved in my child’s therapy sessions?

In case your child is getting speech therapy by a professional pathologist. Then you must ask them about your involvement in the whole therapy program. 

Feedback is of great importance, as it gives you an insight into how the therapy is going and whether it is making any noticeable difference. Therefore, you must ask for constant feedback, and what your part should be in the whole therapy plan. 

Last but not least, you must also ask the speech pathologist. If you can watch and assess the therapy sessions as well. And be a part of the therapy as well so that you can learn important techniques to practice with your child at home.