Speech Pathologist Day Date in the current year: November 14, 2024

Speech-language pathology began to develop in the 17th century as part of deaf education. Back then, speech disorders with preserved hearing weren’t treated as a problem. Speech-language therapy became a separate field of expertise in the second half of the 19th century.

Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech and language therapists or speech therapists, are clinicians, i.e. health care professionals that work as primary care givers and diagnose and treat patients.

According to a common misconception, speech pathologists only adjust sound articulation and help to cope with stutter. In reality, speech-language pathology is concerned with a wide range of issues, including semantic issues such as word finding, social communication difficulties, literacy impairments, cognitive impairments, voice difficulties, etc.

Another common misconception is that speech-language pathologists only work with children. Although most of their clients and patients are children, speech therapists also help adults cope with a wide range of disorders.