In order to determine which career is right for you, it is important to understand how the roles and responsibilities, job growth, and required education for each profession differs. “The clearest difference,” Roberts continues, “is in the OT’s focus on the use of meaningful, goal-directed, personalized activity programs to restore independence and quality of life with a holistic focus on the client’s whole life, whereas the speech therapist is focused exclusively on the client’s swallowing or communication disorders and how to remediate them.” Michael Roberts, associate professor and director of the master's in occupational therapy program at Regis College explains, “They are both interested in helping people be present and active in the world, and often collaborate on things like feeding and swallowing in rehab hospitals, social participation in school systems, and adapted communication for clients with aphasia.” For this reason, students who are looking to narrow their area of focus often compare the two professions. While these careers are different from one another, the desire to help improve patients’ lives is a common thread between occupational therapy and speech therapy. Occupational Therapy vs Speech Therapy: How Do They Differ? Here’s a look at the distinguishing factors between occupational and speech therapy. While there are overlaps in the approach to patient care that both of these professions take, the two careers are distinct. Roughly 40 percent of SLPs work in educational environments at the state, local, and private levels, while other popular settings include private practices, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities. The primary goal of a speech therapist is to use therapeutic approaches to improve a patient’s ability to communicate and/or swallow. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), or speech therapists, are practitioners who diagnose, treat, and prevent communication and swallowing disorders. Other common work environments for these physical therapists include elementary and secondary schools at the state, local, and private levels, home healthcare services, or nursing care facilities. The majority of OTs work in state, local, or private hospitals and or in private practice offices. Occupational therapists treat a wide variety of patients in various settings. Occupational therapists (OTs) are practitioners who use therapeutic techniques to treat injuries, illnesses, or disabilities that affect patients’ ability to complete everyday activities which are important to them. Here’s a look at the differences between occupational therapy and speech therapy so you can better understand which role is best aligned to your goals. Since the duties of these professions sometimes overlap and practitioners often collaborate with one another, it can be difficult to decide which career is right for you. Those who are interested in pursuing a career in rehabilitation therapy often find themselves torn between occupational therapy and speech therapy. Professionals in all three of these fields work together to care for patients whose daily lives have been affected by a disability, injury, or illness. In fact, these careers fall under the category of rehabilitation therapy which includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy. It is not uncommon for people interested in patient care to compare occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, or speech therapy. Availability of Employees for Information Dissemination.Center for Veteran and Military Family Services.Accreditation and State Regulatory Authorizations.New inpatient appointments will be requested by a physician. Learn more about other options available to you. Please note that referrals are required, and we are currently experiencing up to a 12-month wait for some appointments. New speech-language patientsĬall (650) 736-2000 to make an outpatient appointment with one of our speech pathologists. Learn more about our services and the types of conditions we treat, or call (650) 736-2000 for more information. We offer comprehensive services for all types of speech-language conditions in both outpatient and inpatient settings. We provide your child with the best care possible by using the most current speech pathology research and best practices in a family-centered care environment. The Speech-Language Pathology team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford provides evaluations and treatment for children from birth to age 21.
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