Speech-Language Pathologist identify speech and language deficits, determine how and if speech-language deficits will affect job performance and provide strategies to minimize the impact of these deficits in the work place.
Communication deficits that can impact employment or the process of obtaining
successful employment include deficits in Speech, Receptive Communication,
Expressive Communication, Pragmatic/Social Skills, Cognitive-Linguistic skills
and/or Executive Functioning Skills.
Occupational therapy practitioners, through their education and training, possess the unique ability to evaluate individuals’ interactions with their work demands and the work environment through detailed and scientifically based task analysis. Using a holistic perspective, occupational therapists evaluate and understand the impact of wellness, cognition, physical disabilities, psychosocial factors, and medical conditions on work performance. The occupational therapy evaluation can identify supports and barriers to success in the work environment that, if indicated, can be addressed in the intervention plan in order to facilitate work performance. These specialized evaluation skills allow the occupational therapist to understand and deliver results in the complex psychosocial and physical work environment (Ellexson, 2000).
Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): Low Tech or High Tech Communication System /Device and Assistive Technology (AT) in the employment setting
Ineffective or unsupported Assistive Technology (AT) and/or an Augmentative or
Alternative Communication (AAC) needs are also often a barrier to employment which
can be successfully supported by a Speech-Language Pathologist and/or Occupational
Therapist knowledgeable and experienced in providing these supports in a community
based setting.