The Best Job in the World: Speech-Language Pathologist

I’m pretty sure I have the best job in the world. (According to NBCnews.com, it’s #10, but what do they know?) Every day, without fail, I can say that I have done something that has made a positive impact on a child’s life.

Some days, it might involve meeting a huge milestone, but more often, it’s the little things.  It’s the “ba” from a child who’s nonverbal, the hug from the kid who came in crying, or that glorious moment where something we’ve been working on for weeks just “clicks”. I celebrate those things.

As someone who’s a bit of an overachiever, it took me awhile to realize the beauty in those moments. I wanted my clients to fly through their goals. As I’ve learned and grown as a speech-language pathologist, I’ve come to realize that those little things can be just as, if not more, significant in their lives.

When a child can say a word to ask his mom for a toy instead of screaming, it makes a difference. When a child who’s working on social skills can play a game with a peer, it makes a difference. When a child who’s practiced the “s” sound can now say his sister’s name correctly, it makes a difference. Those are things that most people do automatically and take for granted, but they can be real challenges for our kids.

I love the fact that here, at the Galvin Therapy Center, we can and do help our clients take on those real-life challenges that might be brushed off as insignificant in other settings. Our goals are not always educational, but they’re always functional.

We look at the whole picture and how to give the child the tools they need to succeed in life, across disciplines and settings. And we never forget about the little things.