- knowledge of English language
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- knowledge of psychology
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
As part of your day-to-day tasks, you could:
- talk to clients, observe them and use tests to assess specific difficulties
- plan and develop therapy programmes
- support clients through treatment
- work closely with colleagues like doctors and teachers
- coach parents and carers to continue their therapy at home
- keep detailed progress records
- work with groups or individuals to improve the way they communicate
You could work at a school, in an NHS or private hospital, at a health centre, in a nursery or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
With experience, you could specialise in areas like:helping children with special educational needs; helping eating, drinking and swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
With further training, you could move into teaching and research. You could also become self-employed.
You can find out more about becoming a speech and language therapist from:Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists; Health Careers