New technology is changing career fields in
different ways. For example, journalism
has shifted from a career that centered on purely written works like newspapers
and magazines to a career that now focuses on digital works like blogs and
online news sites. Journalists need to
keep up with the latest technology and still retain past methods. This is also the case in hearing and
speech. The American Speech- Language-
Hearing Association (ASHA) certifies speech pathologists and audiologists. Because of the emerging technology, hearing
and speech is a field that is continuously changing. Speech therapists and audiologists are required to
understand how to use the latest technology for therapy and diagnosis. For speech language pathology, the rise of technology
means figuring out how to incorporate different methods in therapy sessions,
while for audiology the rise of technology means figuring out what solution is
better for the patients.
A speech language pathologist provides treatment for patients,
from babies to elderly, who have swallowing problems, language problems, or speech
problems.
Speech pathologists evaluate patients
and provide them with therapy based on the diagnosis. For example, a speech pathologist teaches a
patient how to annunciate words and communicate properly.
Author and speech language pathologist Joan Green is
the founder of Innovative Speech Therapy, a therapy that combines speech and
technology.
Joan Green’s goal in
Innovative Speech Therapy is to incorporate technology and computers into patient
treatment. T.W.I.S.T, Technology With Innovative Speech Therapy, is Green’s
therapy program that provides assistance for a variety of ages and a variety of
speech deficiencies. Some of the
technological treatments include speech recognition apps that record the
patient’s voice, apps that write down words when the patient talks, apps that
help the patient learn grammar and spelling, apps that serve as digital
flashcards, and apps that help with auditory ability. In fact, the iPad has currently become a
popular tool in speech therapy; a tool that provides over one hundred apps to
help patients improve speech. The
benefit of Innovative Speech Therapy is immense. The technology is an at home resource for
improving speech. Parents of a child
with speech problems can learn to use the technology and help their child develop
at an early age even when the child is not in the speech language pathologist’s
office. However, this begs the question
of whether or not technology can actually replace a human therapist. Clinical supervisor and audiologist for the
department of hearing and speech sciences at the University of Maryland, Dr.
Paula Schauer, comments that the two go hand in hand. Patients can use new technologies under the
watchful eye of the therapist. Dr.
Schauer explains:
As Dr. Schauer clarifies, the
technology itself is not the key factor.
Rather, it is important to mix both methods.
An audiologist diagnoses and evaluates patients with
hearing problems and balance problems.
Audiologists test patients to
determine the severity of hearing loss and recommend solutions, or aural
rehabilitation, to patients. Audiologists are also required to keep in tune with
the latest technological trends. There are many technologies
emerging to help the deaf or hearing-impaired community. Dr. Schauer discusses a few new technologies
that are available to the public:
Two essential technologies
that are changing audiology are hearing aids and cochlear implants. Hearing aids are composed of microphones,
amplifiers, and speakers and date back to the Industrial Revolution. While the first hearing aids were fairly
large, expensive, and far from perfect, hearing aids now are smaller,
adjustable, and superior. Not only are
there improvements with hearing aids, but there are also improvements with
other hearing technologies like cochlear implants. Cochlear implants are surgically inserted
into the mastoid bone in order to stimulate the auditory nerve in the ear. The purpose of the hearing aid is to intensify
the sound while the purpose of the cochlear implant is to replace the damaged
hair cells in the ear. Audiologists need
to be informed of the risks, benefits, and procedures involved in hearing aids
and implants so they can properly convey the information to their patients. Each hearing aid or implant needs to be
tailored to the individual and each new technology needs to be explained
thoroughly.
However, not everyone agrees that new technology is
beneficial for speech language pathology and audiology.
Because of technological
improvements in audiology like cochlear implants we now have new ways to help
deaf people hear. To most this would seem like a positive advancement but it
has sparked heated debate between the deaf community and the hearing
community. The deaf community views
cochlear implants as a threat to their deaf culture, a culture of sign language,
values, and unity. The cochlear implants
are comparable to missionaries trying to convert the deaf culture into hearing
culture. Academy Award documentary Sound and Fury (2000) illustrates the
tension between the two communities. According
to the deaf community, deafness is not a disability and there is no reason to
change it. When a child’s hearing improves,
the child will sympathize more with the hearing world and forget their true
origins. Is there legitimate reason for
the deaf community to worry? Dr. Schauer
comments:
The hesitant nature that some
people feel towards technology can also be seen in regards to speech
pathology. When asked if they would
rather receive speech therapy from an iPad app or a human therapist, two random people on the street chose human therapists:
These two interviewees claim that technology is not as personable as a human therapist, and they would prefer to see a real therapist instead.
These two interviewees claim that technology is not as personable as a human therapist, and they would prefer to see a real therapist instead.
Technology has altered the methods of treatment and
diagnosis for speech therapists and audiologists but it has not replaced them.
The fact that people chose
human therapists over technology shows
that people still value human-to-human interaction. However, this does not mean that technology
itself cannot be used as a tool to learn.
Student Lily Wilf asserts this fact:
Lily Wilf answers that she believes people can still receive therapy from an app. Technology is around to provide patients with the best opportunities possible, and despite contrary beliefs, technology is not around to ruin any lives or cultures. True therapists and audiologists are required to learn additional material, but this is a sacrifice that most professionals would be willing to make whole-heartedly if it guaranteed better therapy results. Some people fear technology just because they have a fear of the unknown. Therapists have been around for so long without technology and the direction therapy will go if technology usage picks up too much steam can be daunting. In a few years there is no saying what new technologies will emerge and what the career field will look like. Speech language pathology and audiology may seem completely different than what it was in the past. We must welcome this change with open arms and learn the smoothest ways to blend technology and human treatment; for once we accomplish this task, revolutionary results can be acquired.
Lily Wilf answers that she believes people can still receive therapy from an app. Technology is around to provide patients with the best opportunities possible, and despite contrary beliefs, technology is not around to ruin any lives or cultures. True therapists and audiologists are required to learn additional material, but this is a sacrifice that most professionals would be willing to make whole-heartedly if it guaranteed better therapy results. Some people fear technology just because they have a fear of the unknown. Therapists have been around for so long without technology and the direction therapy will go if technology usage picks up too much steam can be daunting. In a few years there is no saying what new technologies will emerge and what the career field will look like. Speech language pathology and audiology may seem completely different than what it was in the past. We must welcome this change with open arms and learn the smoothest ways to blend technology and human treatment; for once we accomplish this task, revolutionary results can be acquired.
