There are many different hearing care professionals. Yet, while their practices and theology are similar, they are, in fact, very different in how they approach their work and their clients. Two of those roles are audiologists and speech language pathologists.
Understanding the difference between the two is important, so if the situation arises that you need to see one of them for your hearing needs, you know which one to choose and what to expect from each.
Let’s take a deeper look at the key differences between an audiologist and a speech language pathologist.
The Basics of Speech Language Pathologists
Speech and language pathologists (SLPs) focus on patients who have experienced a traumatic incident and need rehabilitation to improve their speech and language skills or have a severe hearing impairment and need to develop their language skills.
In some situations, they might even aid people with dementia, who have lost their speaking abilities and have trouble communicating. In essence, SLPs work on the communication side of hearing and speech.
Their main roles can include assisting patients with the following:
- Speech delays, such as articulation, phonology and motor speech disorders
- Voice and language disorders, including the ability to express and comprehend oral and non-oral contents
- Communication issues that stem from traumatic injuries, such as hearing impairments, TBIs, dementia, and developmental and genetic disorders
- Fluency disorders, such as stuttering
- Swallowing or feeding disorders in adults, children and infants
- Social skills, which focuses on cognitive-communicative that affect reasoning and problem-solving functions
- Literacy skills, which include decoding, reading comprehension and writing
When Do You Need To See An SLP?
If you or a family member struggles with communication or suffering from impairments that affect fluent speaking and listening, then an SLP is the best option for you. These are highly skilled professionals that can help you with your concerns.
SLPs are recognized for developing a very real connection with their patients, as they work together for what can be a long-time.
For those interested in becoming a speech language pathologist, it requires a Master’s Degree, and you need to be licenced to operate. It is considered a very rewarding profession.
The Basics of Audiologists
While SLPs focus on communication as a whole, audiologists assist patients with hearing and balance problems. Audiologists examine patients of all ages, identifying potential hearing loss symptoms or impairments while noticing any possible auditory, balance or sensory and neural problems. In most cases, an audiologist can be found at hearing clinics (like the experts at Toronto Family Hearing, who sponsored this blog).
Audiologists use a range of tests, such as Audiometric, Tympanometric and Otoacoustic Emission, to determine the patient’s hearing quality and if they might experience potential problems in the future. They can also assist people struggling with speech or tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
As a result of the tests, they’ll provide solutions and treatment options to the patient based on their hearing loss and personal lifestyle preferences. This can include hearing aids (where they can also offer support and repair if needed), custom earplugs and tinnitus treatment.
The overall aim of the audiologist is to improve the patient’s hearing so that they can experience a better quality of life.
When Do You Need To See An Audiologist?
If you are noticing that you are losing your hearing, such as if you have to ask people to repeat themselves often, have trouble hearing in crowds, background noise is messy, or if you experience ringing in your ears, then it’s time to get an expert opinion.
Audiologists can be very supportive of your needs and offer you plenty of guidance and treatment to aid your hearing impairment or issue. Make sure you find one that is experienced, highly-qualified and has your best interests at heart.
For those interested in becoming an audiologist, you will require a degree, extensive training and a licence from your provincial association to operate. Just like an SLP, it is a very rewarding profession.