Speech Therapist Salary Range

Speech therapists are the professionals who help infants, children and adults suffering from problems related to communication disorders. Speech therapists or speech pathologists overcome the language and speech related problems among the affected people by counseling and through medications. In many cases, the speech therapists recommend rehabilitation centers for the patients. There are many career opportunities for speech therapists in pre-schools and schools, as language related problems generally occur in the childhood years. Some speech therapists also look forward for hospital jobs and work in hospitals, day care centers and even offices. At the start, aspirants of the speech and language therapist jobs must not give over importance to money, as speech therapist salary range fluctuates due to various factors.

Speech Therapist Job Description
Speech therapists or speech pathologists mainly deal with the patients having speech disorders like

• Inability to produce sound
• Accent problems
• Stuttering
• Irregular pitch of the voice
• Swallowing difficulties
• Fluency related problems

Speech therapists assess the patient's problems and needs before starting the treatment and the treatment part includes consulting those close to the patient, like teachers, parents, friends or caretakers. Speech therapists work in close association with doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Speech therapist salary range varies for different social services and non governmental organizations that hire speech therapists for working with them. Read more on speech pathologist career.

Working Activities of Speech Therapists
The speech therapist salary range depends on the working activities that he may carry out for different companies. The working activities of speech therapists are as follows.

• Identifying the communication difficulties of the people and in the case of children, track the area where the child is unable to communicate properly.
• Understanding the cause behind the speech related problem, like congenital problems and acquired disorders after brain stroke or injury.
• Assessing the communication environment of the patients' living area.
• Maintain and record important conclusions and reports about the performance of the person in the due course of treatment.
• Maintain the confidentiality of the case and reports.
• Teach the patients sign language and other skills of communication.
• To spread awareness about speech related problems in families and communities.

Educational Requirements for Speech Therapists
In many states of the US, speech therapists are expected to complete their master's degree in speech language pathology, however some states only grant licenses to students who have graduated in programs that are accredited by reputed bodies related to audiology courses. The courses for speech therapist include studies in anatomy, physiology and even the principles of acoustics. A knowledge of Spanish and French languages is preferred by many companies and healthcare units.

Speech Pathologist Salaries
While considering speech therapist salaries, many factors are considered. Speech therapist starting salary is decided by the work experience of the person, educational background and specializations and certifications. Generally, the speech therapist salary range increases with work experience. The average speech therapist salary is between USD 50,000 to USD 70,000 annually, but the speech therapist salaries can rise up to USD 90,000, depending on the work experience and quality of the service provided by the speech therapists. In the initial years, speech therapist salary range is not as high as expected, but once you gain substantial work experience, the salary can increase to good amounts. Besides these, there are various other attractions in speech therapists job, like opportunities for advanced research in fields related to acoustics, audiology and other subjects related to audiology.

You may find it interesting to read more on

• Audiologist Education Requirements
• Careers in Speech Pathology

Choosing a career in the field of speech therapy is surely going to give you job satisfaction and with higher studies you can even increase your pay scale. Best of luck!