A Little Bit About Life As An SLT

Hey everyone!

I have been getting asked a lot recently about my new job, so I decided I might as well make a post about it to explain what I do! First off-I know many of you are wondering, what is an SLT? An SLT is a Speech-Language Technician or, in other states a Speech-Language Aide. I graduated from BYU with my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders (which is Speech Pathology and Audiology), but unfortunately did not get into Graduate School to get my masters-and I was devastated. I had no idea what to do with my degree, until I heard about this "SLT" thing from one of my friends at work. I ended up going to a week-long institute in Salt Lake City, where I was taught and trained how to give speech therapy to children. After a couple of months of searching and searching for a job as an SLT, I finally landed one with Alpine School District-and I LOVE IT.

So, what is it that I do everyday? Basically, I just get to work with the kids. As an SLT I work under the supervision of my Speech-Language Pathologist and help them with whatever they need. I am not assigned my own caseload, as I cannot handle all of the legal documents that are involved since I do not have a master's degree, but I can help to handle data and therapy sessions with their supervision. Supervision is KEY. I am in no way capable of assessing or diagnosing anyone with speech disorders-I am only allowed to help the remediation process.

I currently work in three different schools, with three different SLP's helping me, and it is GREAT. I work at Hillcrest Elementary in Orem on Mondays and Wednesdays, Forbes Elementary in American Fork on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at the preschools at Northridge Elementary on Fridays. It is absolutely crazy running around everywhere-but I LOVE it. I get to work with so many different kids, and I love learning therapy techniques from all my SLP's. I work with kids from preschool to 6th grade-some who are regular-ed students, some who are part regular-ed and part resource kids, and some who are in life skills classes. I work with kids not just on their sounds (for example, their "r's" or "l's") but with social skills, basic concepts, WH-Questions, story telling, etc. It is an absolute BLAST. I love learning how to become a better teacher and therapist, and I love the experience I am gaining. Most of all though, I LOVE the kids. They all have such sweet spirits, and truly are special children of our Heavenly Father. All of them. I love seeing them learn, grow, and progress and to learn how to use the incredible gift of communication. It really is such a blessing! I love how they make me laugh, as hard as it is all day, and how they bring out the good in this world. I love getting to be creative with them and to do silly lessons, play games, paint and color, eat candy, and many other things to get the therapy rolling. Basically, I just love my job. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this job and can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings for me. So there you have it folks-my life as an SLT!