Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1. What Is Aphasia?

Answer :

It is described as an individual's inability to understand or use of words due to brain injury or stroke.

Question 2. What Is Phonological Disorder?

Answer :

Phonological disorder is usually seen in children altering the structure of words or change in the sound pattern like "do" for "go" and "tup" for "cup".

Question 3. What Is Articulation Disorder?

Answer :

It is a disorder caused due to difficulties producing or pronouncing sounds, and the sounds may be added, substituted, omitted, added or deleted by other words. For example, school becomes cool, and spoon becomes thpoon.

Question 4. Explain What Is Dynamic Time Warping?

Answer :

Dynamic time warping is an algorithm used for measuring similarity between two sequences that may vary in time or recognition. Dynamic time warping is used to compare different speech pattern in automatic speech recognition.

Question 5. From Your Perspective, What Is The Biggest Problem In Healthcare Today?

Answer :

The lack of insurance coverage and reimbursement for speech and language related developmental delays and disorders such as stuttering.

Question 6. List Out Some Of The Equipment's Used By Speech Pathologist?

Answer :

Equipment used by speech pathologist are:

• Sound pressure meter
• Suction machine to treat a patient with swallowing problem
• Flexible endoscope
• Passy Muir valves
• X-rays

Question 7. Tell Me In Your Opinion, What Are The Qualities Needed To Be A Good Speech Therapist?

Answer :

People skills, empathy, an analytical mind, a good ear for language, little-to-no squeamishness about peering into people's mouths, and above all, a sense of humor

Question 8. Mention What Are The Skills Or Qualities Must Need To Be A Good Speech Therapist?

Answer :

• People Skills
• Empathy
• Analytical mind
• Good listening skills
• Good logical reasoning
• Identifying Strength and weakness of the alternative solution
• Training and using instructional methods

Question 9. Mention What Are The Approaches Does The Speech Pathologist Use For Speech Recognition?

Answer :

For speech recognition mainly there are three approaches they use:

• Acoustic Phonetic Approach
• Pattern Recognition Approach
• Artificial Intelligence Approach

Question 10. What Is The Articulation Disorder?

Answer :

Articulation disorder is referred to the inability of an individual to pronounce certain words, due to the deformations of oral parts like palate, tongue, teeth, lips, facial nerves and muscles and sometimes respiratory system as well. Articulation disorder can be corrected with speech therapy or in certain cases can be minimized by operating surgeries.

Question 11. Please Explain Is Speech-language Pathology An Art Or A Science?

Answer :

I would say it is both an art and a science. My undergrad degree was a Bachelor of Arts, and much of the background learning I needed was in arts classes like linguistics and psychology. I did need classes such as statistics and a small amount of math as well, though. The master's degree I received from UBC is a Master of Science, and the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences is part of Rehabilitation Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. In my every day job, I use my arts background in linguistics and psychology, as well as a highly analytical, clinical and scientific approach.

Question 12. What Is The Documentation Process Is Followed By Speech Pathologist While Treating A Speech Impaired Patient?

Answer :

• Speech language pathologist maintains the record of patient
• Record of assessment is reported to the patient, family, caregivers or any concerned person of the patient.
• Reports are circulated to the referral source and other professionals with written consent
• Documentation of type and severity of the communication, related disorder, associated conditions except screening information
• Maintaining privacy and security of documentation in compliance with the regulations of federal law
• It also includes summaries of previous services in accordance with all relevant legal and agency guidelines

Question 13. Explain In Vsd Or Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (vpd) What Are The Assessment Steps?

Answer :

• For the assessment, a nasometer is used to analyze acoustic energy emitted through the oral and nasal cavity during the production of speech
• Aerodynamic assessment, measuring oral pressure and airflow during speech, and the size of velopharyngeal gap
• Nasopharyngoscopy- to assess the function of the velopharyngeal mechanism
• Assess velopharyngeal closure during speech and phonation using videofluroscopy and lateral cephalographs.

Question 14. Explain What Is Phonemic Disorder? Is It Curable?

Answer :

Phonemic disorders are speech disorder that the individual has trouble physically producing certain sounds. Usually, person with phonemic disorders have trouble distinguishing sounds made by certain letters like all "c" or "t" s. With speech therapy, phonemic disorder can be improved, but to what percentage it depends upon individual case.

Question 15. What Is Most Rewarding As Speech Pathologist?

Answer :

The most rewarding part I think would be working with stroke patients and seeing a lot of them recover. Those who weren't able to swallow at all or were on feeding tubes or those who couldn't speak at all because of the stroke, it's really rewarding when they are able to get some of those capabilities back.

Question 16. What Is The Difference Between Articulation And Phonological Disorder?

Answer :

Articulation disorder: It is a disorder caused due to difficulties producing or pronouncing sounds, and the sounds may be added, substituted, omitted, added or deleted by other words. For example, school becomes cool, and spoon becomes thpoon

Phonological disorder: Phonological disorder is usually seen in children altering the structure of words or change in the sound pattern like "do" for "go" and "tup" for "cup".

Question 17. What Is Augmentative And Alternative Communication?

Answer :

For communication among speech unable person, augmentative and alternative device is used. It decipher the signals made by hand, eyes, picture, body language, etc. Augmentative and alternative communication includes both aided and unaided system.

Aided system includes books and special computers, picture charts, etc. Unaided system includes gestures and signing. AAC methods may be personalized to meet each individual's needs.

Question 18. What Exercise Do You Encourage The Most For Ns-ome?

Answer :

Tongue exercises if it is with articulation like the sound /r/. Have the train the tongue to move in different directions.

Question 19. What Are The Tools Used By Speech Pathologist To Treat A Patient?

Answer :

To treat a patient they use:

• Adaptive communication switches like infrared switches, sound switches, touch switches, etc.
• Sound measuring apparatus like an ECG or laryngograph
• Stroboscopes
• Computer and tablet and the whole lot of app to treat speech impaired patient
• Therapeutic voice synthesizers and augmentative communication devices
• Various software likes speech analysis software, language analysis software and signal analysis software
• Medical devices like multi-speech device KayPENTAX, video voice, text to speech, etc.

Question 20. Explain What Causes Speech Disorder?

Answer :

The causes for speech disorder can vary, it may be:

• Development disorders (e.g.; Autism)
• Genetic syndromes ( Down syndrome)
• Illness
• Neurological disorders (Cerebral palsy)
• Hearing loss

Question 21. What Is The Difference Between Apraxia And Aphasia?

Answer :

Aphasia: It is described as an individual's inability to understand or use of words due to brain injury or stroke

Apraxia: It is described as an individual's inability to initiate the movement needed to make a speech. This difficulty may persist despite the fact that there is no weakness in muscles.

Question 22. What Is Speech-language Pathology?

Answer :

The field of speech-language pathology involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders.

Speech-language pathologists work with adults and children with difficulties in the following main areas:

language comprehension, expressive language, social language and pragmatics, the production of speech sounds, phonation (voice), fluency, oral motor control and swallowing disorders.

Question 23. What Is Apraxia?

Answer :

It is described as an individual's inability to initiate the movement needed to make a speech. This difficulty may persist despite the fact that there is no weakness in muscles.

Question 24. What Is Orofacial Apraxia?

Answer :

Orofacial Apraxia is a neurological condition that affects motor movement and functioning of facial muscles.

Question 25. What Is The Speech Screening Test Includes In An Adult?

Answer :

In an adult screening test includes standardized and non-standardized methods like:

• To screen oral motor function
• Speech production skills
• Comprehension and production of spoken and written language
• Cognitive aspects of communication

Question 26. Explain What Are The Symptoms Of Orofacial Apraxia?

Answer :

• Minimum babbling during infancy
• Difficult in saying long or complex words
• Repeated attempts at pronunciation of words
• Stresses on certain words
• Excessive use of nonverbal forms for communication
• Distorting of vowel sounds
• Omitting consonants at the beginning and end of words
• Difficulty stringing syllables together