Speech and language disorders take many forms. Babies can be born with these disorders. Accidental injury or illness can cause speech or language disorders at any age. Whatever their kind or cause, these disorders have serious consequences. They can limit one’s academic achievement, social adjustment and career advancement.

“Fortunately, most people with speech and language problems can be helped,” said Swanson-Perrelet. “Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. People may not fully regain their capacity to speak and understand, but a speech-language pathologist can help them express their needs and live more independently.”

Some common speech and language disorders include stuttering or fluency difficulties, a widely recognized problem characterized by repetitions of sounds, words; articulation difficulties that cause people to pronounce sounds incorrectly, making their speech difficult to understand; language disorders that limit a person’s ability to understand and use spoken and/or written words; and finally, voice disorders that make speech impossible or extremely difficult to understand. Aphasia is a speech-language disorder that frequently follows a stroke or brain injury. People with aphasia can think clearly but cannot effectively express their thoughts. An estimated one million Americans have aphasia.

“If you know someone who has difficulty speaking or understanding language, urge them or help them to consult a speech-language pathologist,” said Swanson-Perrelet. “A communications disorder is just too important to ignore.”

Speech/Language Pathologists are the professionals who treat all types of speech, language and related disorders. In California, they are licensed and/or credentialed by the State Speech and Language Pathology Board, hold a master’s degree and may be certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Speech-language Pathologists work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, colleges and other health and educational settings.

Swanson-Perrelet is responsible for creating the curriculum and teaching classes for Grossmont College’s newest associate of science degree program: Speech/Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). SLPAs are trained to treat speech or language disorders under the direction of a speech/language pathologist and are certified by the State Speech and Language Pathology Board of California following graduation and application.

Swanson-Perrelet recently received the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association District award for outstanding achievement at the organization’s
52nd annual state convention. She was recognized for her efforts to develop and coordinate the Grossmont College Speech Language and Pathology Assistant Program.