Career & Education will over the next several weeks look at career options that cater to the needs of children and/or adults with special needs. We begin this week with a look at the work of speech therapists.

THE ability to communicate is something people often take for granted, but this is not the case for speech therapists tasked with helping autistic children, for example, who are locked in the daily struggle to express themselves.

Career & Education chats this week with Andrea Wray, a trained and registered speech therapist since 1988, about the career option.

Wray, who is in her 40s, has worked at several hospitals, including Kingston General Public Hospital, the Bustamante Hospital for Children and the Mona Rehabilitation Centre, offering similar care to those in need.

Wray — currently the general manager for Mall Pharmacy and Portmore Mall Pharmacy — is the holder of a bachelor’s degree in Behavioural and Social Sciences from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Howard University.

Who is a speech therapist?

A speech therapist is an individual who is trained and duly registered to assess, diagnose and treat individuals with a communication deficit or disorder.

What is the value of the work that you do?

Definitive studies have shown that moderate to severe communication deficit or disorders that are left untreated never correct themselves and thus the individual never achieves their full potential (thus the work of the speech therapist is very important).

What prompted your entry into the field?

I wanted to teach and also be in a medical-related field. Speech language pathology fulfilled both desires.

What are the challenges you face on the job?

The number of patients who are presenting with characteristics which fall within the spectrum of autism is rising at a steady and alarming rate. Therefore, I am unable to help many families.

What do you most enjoy about your work?

The sense of accomplishment when a child who was previously non-verbal utters his first meaningful word.

What are the academic requirements for entry into the field?

A bachelor’s degree in hearing and speech sciences or the equivalent, and a master’s degree in speech language pathology. Qualification from the United Kingdom is different.

What other skills and/or competencies are required for the field?

(The ability to be) at ease with children and/or adults as well as empathy towards others with differences or deficiencies.

Trained as a speech therapist, what are the employment options open to you?

There is opportunity in our local hospitals, private schools — from nursery to high schools — rehabilitation centres and nursing homes.

As a speech therapist, how much can you earn on an annual basis?

In the United States in 2008, the middle 50 per cent of speech therapists were paid between US$50,000 and US$80,000. Locally, a speech therapist can earn about a third of that.