Speech-Language Pathologists are health care professionals that understand communication disorders. This includes understanding normal and abnormal brain development, function and structure, and how disease affects speech. Speech-language pathologists use this knowledge to develop, maintain, rehabilitate and increase speech and language skills. 

Some disorders treated by speech-language pathologists include:  

Reading disorders: Difficulties understanding and recognizing words, matching letters to their sounds or reading fluently. 

Writing disorders: Difficulties with expressing thoughts, organizing work and spelling. 

Language disorders: Difficulties with reading, writing, speaking or understanding language due to brain trauma, autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, stroke, disease or cognitive disorders.

Talking disorders: 

• Difficulties producing the correct sounds or words 
• Swallowing disorders 
• Stuttering 
• Speech muscle impairment 
• Unusual voice quality, pitch and loudness
• Fluency disorders

Using speech and language therapy, Speech-language pathologists work in hospitals, clinics and schools. Some of the services they provide include: 

• Providing speech and language therapy such as speech exercises, voice and accent modification, reading and writing workshops
• Recommending prosthetics, therapy, surgery, communication tools or accommodations based on needs. 
• Working with the patient, the patient’s family, caregivers, teachers and the workplace to help them live with the communication disorder. 
• Assisting with the patient’s return to their everyday life by training family and friends, by providing work, school, and community accommodations and by increasing the patient’s self-esteem.
• Providing the public with up-to-date speech and language disorder information.