Speech-language therapist gives voice to those who need it most
Speech-language therapist Jayme Carvey in action
When we have to repeat ourselves – especially if it’s more than once – we may feel frustrated and irritated. But for some people, “not being understood” is a part of daily life. People with degenerative diseases, brain injuries, and strokes can often be cut off from communicating with their families, friends, and caregivers. Other people stutter or are unable to articulate certain letter sounds – making self-expression a constant challenge.
Speech-language pathologists – commonly known as speech therapists – help people find solutions to their communication barriers. They study human communication and its disorders and work with clients in private practices, schools, health units, and hospitals.
Three years ago I took my son to see Jayme Carvey, a registered speech-language pathologist consultant with Columbia Speech and Language Services in Vancouver, because he couldn’t pronounce the letter R. At the time, I wrote a blog post about Jayme and her job – and I’ve condensed that post into this one.
I asked Jayme how she liked her job.
“It’s pretty much the best job to have. In my day, I get to play games with little kids and talk with adults and people actually pay me to do that. That’s what I can’t get over!” she said. “I’m always working with people who have communication impairments – providing them some kind of support to be able to communicate again and seeing the impact that it makes on their lives. It’s pretty amazing!”
As it turned out, the letter R is one of the last sounds kids learn to pronounce – and, sure enough, he learned it just fine. In hindsight, I think I was overly worried about it – but that’s just part of my life as a mom. Jayme said I wasn’t the only parent to come in with this type of minor issue.
“We have a lot of parents who come in and maybe they didn’t really need to come in the first place, but a lot of it is peace of mind. They say: ‘I just want to make sure. I want to get a professional point of view here that everything is okay,’” she said. “I don’t have any kids myself, but my sisters and friends who have kids are always calling me for advice.”