May is Speech & Hearing Awareness Month

May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month, the one month in the year when thousands of professionals involved with the treatment of speech, language and hearing disorders come together to participate in a public awareness campaign that encourages early detection and prevention of communication disorders, and seeks to increase the public’s sensitivity to the challenges faced by individuals experiencing them.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has endorsed this by producing an official proclamation that May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month.

Millions of Canadians live with serious communication disorders. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital. Speech-language pathologists (S-LP’s) and audiologists (Auds) are highly trained professionals who can help people make their lives richer, more productive and enjoyable through improved communication skills.

As professionals, we identify, assess and rehabilitate children and adults with hearing difficulties and communication and swallowing disorders. We counsel clients and families and provide referrals to other professionals. We are committed to ongoing excellence in clinical care, research, public education, and training of new speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

We are highly trained, studying at the Master’s and Doctoral Level in acoustics, anatomy, assessment, counseling, hearing disorders, hearing aids, language development disorders, acquired speech, language and swallowing disorders, linguistics, neurology, neurophysiology, non-vocal communication, alternative/augmentative communication, caregiver training, psychology phonetics, voice, speech and voice disorders, statistics, stuttering and research methods.

Speech-Language pathologists and audiologists are often part of teams that include physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, teachers, counselors, occupational therapists and physical therapists.

There are over 50 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel helping patients throughout VCH.

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