Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Assist speech-language pathologists in the conduct of client screenings or assessments of language, voice, fluency, articulation, or hearing.
• Prepare charts, graphs, or other visual displays to communicate clients' performance information.
• Test or maintain equipment to ensure correct performance.
• Assist speech-language pathologists in the conduct of speech-language research projects.
• Implement treatment plans or protocols as directed by speech-language pathologists.
• Assist speech-language pathologists in the conduct of speech-language research projects.
• Perform support duties, such as preparing materials, keeping records, maintaining supplies, and scheduling activities.
• Perform support duties, such as preparing materials, keeping records, maintaining supplies, and scheduling activities.
• Assist speech-language pathologists in the remediation or development of speech and language skills.
• Document clients' progress toward meeting established treatment objectives.
• Collect and compile data to document clients' performance or assess program quality.
• Conduct in-service training sessions, or family and community education programs.
• Perform support duties, such as preparing materials, keeping records, maintaining supplies, and scheduling activities.
• Select or prepare speech-language instructional materials.

Skills

• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

Abilities

• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

Knowledge

• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Bellevue College
  3000 Landerholm Cir SE, Bellevue WA 98007-6484
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 425-564-1000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save
  Program Name
  Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save
  Program Name
  Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Carrington College-Spokane
  10102 E. Knox Ave., Ste. 200, Spokane WA 99206-4187
  School Type

  Private for-profit, 2-year

  Admissions
  School Size

  Under 1,000

  Financial Aid 509-462-3722
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://carrington.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Clark College
  1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver WA 98663-3598
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 360-992-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.clark.edu/
  Program Name
  Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Clover Park Technical College
  4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood WA 98499-4004
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-589-5800
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.cptc.edu/
  Program Name
  Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save

  ---

• Everett Community College
  2000 Tower Street, Everett WA 98201
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 425-388-9100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.everettcc.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
  Length
  Certificates of less than 12 weeks
  Award Level
  Certificates of less than 12 weeks, Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save

  ---

• Shoreline Community College
  16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline WA 98133-5696
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-546-4101
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.shoreline.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree, Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Tacoma Community College
  6501 S 19th St, Tacoma WA 98466-6100
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 253-566-5000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.tacomacc.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Walla Walla Community College
  500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla WA 99362-9267
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-522-2500
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.wwcc.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Certificates of less than 12 weeks
  Save

  ---

• Yakima Valley College
  South 16th Ave. & Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima WA 98907-2520
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-574-4600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.yvcc.edu/
  Program Name
  Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Certificates of less than 12 weeks
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

59010/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

28.37/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

3,990

Yearly Projected Openings

600

Personality

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

• Optimism
• Empathy
• Social Orientation
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail

Tools

• Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged
• Audiometers
• Audiometric booths or acoustic hearing test chambers
• Closed circuit television CCTV system
• Compact disk players or recorders
• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Digital voice recorders
• Electroencephalograph EEGs
• Flow sensors
• Hand held camcorders or video cameras
• Headphones
• Inkjet printers
• Keyboards
• Laser fax machine
• Letter or symbol boards for the physically challenged
• Medical acoustic stethoscopes
• Microphones
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Portable stereo systems
• Pressure indicators
• Scanners
• Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
• Speech mirror
• Stroboscopes
• Tablet computers
• Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Electronic mail software
• Internet browser software
• Medical software
• Music or sound editing software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Spreadsheet software
• Text to speech conversion software
• Word processing software