Job description speech therapy
The term speech therapy is made up of the Greek words logos = word and paideia = teaching; education.
In theory and practice, speech therapy deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of people who are impaired in their ability to communicate due to a speech, language, swallowing, voice or hearing disorder.
Communication disorders occur in patients of all age groups, i.e. speech therapists treat adults, adolescents, schoolchildren, preschool children, infants and toddlers and, if necessary, advise their relatives.
Speech therapy is a non-medical profession and speech therapists work independently and autonomously in close cooperation with the treating or prescribing physician.
Fields of activity of speech therapists
Speech therapists work independently in their own speech therapy practice or as employees. As employees, they practice their profession in hospitals, specialist clinics and rehabilitation facilities, speech therapy or integrative kindergartens, social pediatric centers and in speech therapy practices. After appropriate further training, speech therapists can take on team leadership roles in schools or clinics and work in research.
Tasks of speech therapists
The tasks of speech therapists include the areas of voice, speech, language, swallowing and hearing, their disorders and therapy. Within these areas, speech therapists are active in prevention, counseling, diagnostics, therapy, rehabilitation, research, further education and teaching.
Further information
You can obtain information from the employment office. The Federal Association for Speech Therapy (DBL e.V.) also offers further information about the profession at: www.dbl-ev.de.