The opportunity to work with children, in a quiet and comfortable office, with a stable, albeit small, salary - often speech therapists come into the profession with precisely these goals. But idealization at the start of your career can lead to disappointment in the future. Not everyone should choose this profession, says speech therapist teacher Vita Bilukha . Only by vocation and only to people whose desire to help others prevails over all others.
What features of the profession do young specialists learn about when starting their first job? What are the pros and cons? How much can you earn in the public and private sectors? And where to study to become a speech therapist after grades 9 and 11? We answer these questions in the FAN .
photo from the personal archive of Vita Bilukha /
What does a speech therapist do?
It is believed that specialists work only on sound pronunciation, that is, they teach children to pronounce sounds correctly, not to “lisp” or “burr.” In fact, the sphere of competence of a speech therapist is much broader, as is the concept of speech disorders. These include problems with speaking, reading and writing, voice disorders, stuttering, delayed speech development or its complete absence.
Each of these disorders has a reason, and the speech therapist’s task is to identify it. Speech is like a litmus test for human health, not only physical, but also mental. Its disorders may be associated with problems with hearing or the speech apparatus, or may result from more serious illnesses: mental, neurological. To assess what exactly caused the speech defect, a specialist must have a huge knowledge base in the field of anatomy, physiology, neurology, and psychology. Therefore, it is no coincidence that speech therapy is called a science at the intersection of medicine and pedagogy.
“A speech therapist helps develop literate speech,” explains speech therapist Vita Bilukha, “this means the formation and modification of words, the creation of grammatical structures. Helps develop coherent speech: the ability to correctly express one’s thoughts, compose stories from pictures, and retell texts. The specialist works on the child’s fine motor skills by performing a finger massage or inviting the child to play finger games. Teaches reading and literacy, diction and intonation, melody and tempo of speaking. Helps develop hearing and speech perception.”
Most often, specialists work with children - in kindergartens, schools, boarding schools, and clinics. But it is a mistake to consider a speech therapist exclusively a children's specialist. Even an adult can turn to a professional to eliminate speech defects. And they will help him too: you can make your speech beautiful, clear and coherent at any age.
A separate category of speech therapists is people after strokes. Speech restoration becomes one of the stages of rehabilitation and a way to return to a full life.
Education
To work in this specialty you must have certain skills and abilities. What education is needed to become a speech therapist? This specialist is trained at pedagogical universities and institutes. A speech therapist must have a higher education.
If you want to work in medical institutions, it is advisable that you also have a medical education. This is necessary so that you can get a promotion. But to obtain this diploma, you do not have to study as much as doctors, because speech therapists teach some medical disciplines. Each university has its own rules for obtaining additional education.
Speech therapists must also attend seminars and advanced training courses. All this is necessary in order to use new and effective methods in work.
Speech therapist work in kindergarten and school
“Every year the percentage of children who need speech therapy help is growing,” the expert notes. “And the later the defect is discovered, the more serious negative consequences it can have for the child’s development. Therefore, the task of a specialist working in a kindergarten is to promptly identify and prevent speech disorders in children of senior preschool age.”
In kindergartens, specialists are responsible for the development of coherent speech skills in children and the complete formation of its sound side. In other words, they teach children to hear and perceive sounds correctly, and then reproduce them correctly. They work with children individually and in groups.
In ordinary kindergartens, attention is paid only to those children who require professional help. And in specialized institutions and groups with a speech therapy focus, they are responsible for the entire educational process, building it in such a way as to help children get rid of speech problems as early as possible.
Be sure to involve parents in the work, provide consultation, and recommend correction techniques that can be used at home. If the speech therapist believes that the cause of the defect is a disease, he will recommend that the parents show the baby to a doctor - a specialized specialist. This approach helps eliminate the disorder at an early age or minimize its negative impact on the child’s development and speech.
Specialty "teacher-speech therapist"
In schools with children who are not doing well with speech, speech therapists work. Their task does not change, but it becomes more important. If a child does not perceive sounds correctly, he will usually have problems with literacy and writing. It is more difficult for him to study, remember material, and concentrate on the teacher’s words. Without correctional support, the school curriculum becomes an insurmountable obstacle for him, so it is imperative to correct violations with the help of a specialist.
“The tasks of a speech therapist at school are to promptly identify and correct speech disorders in students,” explains Vita Bilukha. “This helps to overcome difficulties that a child may have during the learning process.”
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Specialty "defectologist-speech therapist"
Among speech therapists, there is a separate group of professionals who work with “special” children: toddlers and schoolchildren with intellectual disabilities. Such specialists are called defectologists: their qualifications allow them to correct defects in speech, writing, and communication skills in children with disabilities in physical and mental development.
Parents of children who have hearing and vision problems, developmental delays, memory and attention disorders, autism and cerebral palsy, and mental retardation turn to such specialists. A defectologist, of course, is not able to rid a child of the cause of the disease, however, thanks to correctional assistance, it is possible to improve the speaking and pronunciation skills of “special” children and help them communicate with loved ones and peers.
In his work, a defectologist closely interacts with doctors who “manage” the child: a pediatrician, a neuropsychiatrist. In specialized institutions, a defectologist, psychologist, and social teacher work with children at the same time. The tasks of specialists vary, but they have the same goal - to improve the quality of life of the patient under their care.
Objectives of an individual lesson
| Educational objectives | Formation of the concept of the mechanism of sound formation and its acoustic features; formation or consolidation of knowledge about a syllable, a word, a sentence; consolidation of the dictionary or clarification of words containing a given sound on a lexical topic (this could be “Toys”, “Autumn”, “Shoes”, etc.) |
| Corrective tasks | Development and improvement of articulatory motor skills; formation of rules for oral exhalation taking into account this phoneme; development of phonemic hearing and voice; formation of conditioned reflex connections to a given articulatory-acoustic image |
| Educational tasks | Correction of the child’s personality as a whole. |
Below, I would like to present to you, dear colleagues, the structure of an individual lesson.
Features, pros and cons of the profession of speech therapist
“In their work, a specialist needs to show great patience and restraint,” notes teacher-speech therapist Vita Bilukha. — It is important to have goodwill, communication skills, and intuition. Observation and perseverance, flexibility of mind are required. After all, often the presentation of material has to be rearranged on the fly: you expect one thing, but have to work with another.”
One of the main difficulties of the profession is the need to work with “difficult” children. Without a sincere desire to help, to go through a long path of correction step by step, patience - it is very difficult to cope with the psychological load. Another significant disadvantage is the huge number of documents that a specialist must maintain when working in a budget institution. They either get used to this or go into private practice, where the specialist determines the scope of reporting for himself.
How many hours does a speech therapist work?
The standard work rate in a budget institution is 20 hours a week, that is, a speech therapist works 4 hours a day. This is one of the advantages of the profession: such a schedule allows you not to get tired or overloaded. There is always time left for personal matters, and if you wish, you can engage in private practice in your free time.
How long is a speech therapist's vacation?
Long vacations are another plus of the profession. Its duration is 56 days. And since specialists work in schools or kindergartens, where the educational process lasts from September to May, vacations always fall only in the summer months, which is also convenient.
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How much does a speech therapist earn?
The salary level does not differ from the usual in the public sector. Depending on the region and place of work, a specialist can count on 17–20 thousand rubles per month. The average salary of a speech therapist in a school is usually higher than in a kindergarten.
“A speech therapist has no career growth as such,” clarifies Vita Bilukha. “But now more and more specialists are going into private practice. Those who have self-discipline and organizational character can achieve good results. In this case, the specialist himself sets the hourly wage.”
According to the expert, only those who like to feel the usefulness of their work and who want to help people become healthier and happier can successfully realize themselves in the profession. And only in second place in importance should come short working hours and long vacations. In this case, the person will enjoy his work.
The structure of an individual lesson at the stage of sound production
- Organizing time
- Articulation exercises: general articulation exercises, special articulation exercises, exercises to develop the strength of the voice and exhalation.
- Announcing the topic of the lesson to the child.
- Sound production (by imitation, from a preserved phoneme, from articulation exercises, by mechanical influence).
- Analysis of articulation according to plan: position of the lips, position of the teeth, position of the tongue (tip, back, root), participation of the vocal folds, nature of the exhaled stream.
- Consolidating isolated sound: pronunciation, onomatopoeia games.
- Development of phonemic hearing: sound recognition in a series of isolated sounds, distant in articulatory and acoustic characteristics, in syllables, taking into account the above recommendations, in words, in sentences, in text.
- Consolidating the pronunciation of sounds in words.
- Homework.
- Result of the lesson: repetition of which sound was practiced during the lesson, analysis of the main provisions of the articulation of the sound being studied, final pronunciation.
- Assessment of a child’s work in class is carried out with a positive psychological focus.
And in conclusion, I would like to note that when preparing and conducting an individual lesson, it is very important to remember that throughout the entire lesson the child must maintain a strong positive emotional attitude, which is expressed in the desire to study. This is achieved by using surprise moments, game fragments, exciting tasks and exercises, during which the learning process turns into an interesting game.
Make colorful booklets that can be left in educational institutions, hospitals and shopping centers. Create a group on social networks where you will communicate with parents and share useful information on speech development. And the best advertising is the reviews of grateful clients who have benefited from your classes.
How to become a speech therapist and where to start? Talk to those who work in this specialty, ask what they consider the most important in their work. But the main thing is the desire for self-development and the desire to help people speak beautifully and correctly, and for this you need to improve your skills and abilities.
What exactly needs to be done to get into a speech therapy garden?
The staffing of preschool educational institutions today is determined by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated April 8, 2014 No. 293 “On approval of the Procedure for admission to training in educational programs of preschool education.”
So, how to place a child in a speech therapy group in a kindergarten.
Step 1. Get in line for a place in kindergarten - this can be done through the State Services portal (electronic) or on the official website of the mayor of Moscow.
Step 2. Receive a referral from the district clinic to undergo a PMPK (psychological-medical-pedagogical commission). To do this, you will need to visit a pediatrician, neurologist and speech therapist.
Step 3. Collect the necessary documents for the PMPC (check the exact list at the PMPC at your place of residence).
Step 4. Make an appointment at the district PMPC - this can also be done through the State Services portal.
Step 5. On the appointed day, come for the examination with your child.
