Speech therapy courses

Various institutes in India are now offering speech therapy courses. These speech therapy courses are not to cure those people suffering from speech impediments rather these are training courses for those individuals seeking to specialize in the field of providing speech therapy to people with speech impediments.

Speech impairments are linked with hearing impairments. Usually we find people with hearing problems are born dumb as well. Then there are other speech impediments such as vocal dysphonic, slurring and murmuring.

The various speech therapy courses aim to create professionals in the field therapy who will be able to provide the proper treatment for these problems. You can either specialize as a speech therapist or an audiologist. Both these branches come under the umbrella of paramedical courses.

The speech therapy courses offered in India use a combined approach of practical hands on training and in depth theoretical studies. The end result is a well rounded trained professional in the field of speech therapy.

What are the courses being offered in India?

Due to the immense importance of this field speech therapy courses are being offered on a number of different levels in India. At the Bachelors level students have the option to go for B.S.C in speech and hearing or Audiology and Speech and Language. The institutes also offer an M.S.C program in Speech Pathology and Audiology.

A student can apply for a diploma course in speech therapy after completing his higher secondary education. The undergraduate course runs for a period of three years. Higher secondary pass in science subjects are eligible to apply for the Bachelors degree.

The post graduate course in speech therapy is also for three years. To apply in this course the student should have completed his Bachelors degree in the respective field.

Some of the leading institutes offering speech therapy courses in India are:

Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
All India Institute of Speech and Hearing
Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped
J.M Institute of Speech & Hearing, Inderpuri, Keshrinagar
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Institute of Speech & Hearing

Career scope in speech therapy

A large proportion of the human population suffers from various speech and hearing impairments. Thus the service of a speech therapist is a service to society. Not only does this line of work offer a sense of satisfaction for helping out people in the society it is equally as rewarding in terms of material gains.

The job opportunities for speech therapists continue to rise in India due to the increase in the level of awareness. People would often ignore or overlook certain speech and hearing defects but now knowing that a remedy exists they are increasingly seeking the services of speech therapists. Social welfare departments, hospitals, non government organizations and even schools hire the services of speech therapists in India.

The west has long been providing their people with speech therapy. The field continues to experience a growth in many other countries that opens up the doors for employment on foreign grounds.