Kaitlyn Anfinson

Jason Custer

Technical Report Writing

October 9, 2018

Writing as a Speech Pathologist

As a Speech Pathologist, having efficient writing skills and techniques is crucial to a

positive and effective career. The reports that are written daily are used in numerous different

contexts and need to be presented as professional writing. The famous words that I’ve heard in

many jobs, “If you didn’t document it, you didn’t do it” (Goldfarb and Serpanos, 2014). This

explains just how important not only documenting is, but also being able to do it effectively.

Burris and Willis described Speech Pathologists as one of the most respected in the field of

helping others (2017). Because of this, you want your writing to reflect that. According to

Stein-Rubin and Fabus, diagnostic reports, seen daily, are a crucial part of the profession (2012).

First of all, when considering who the audience of your reports will be, Stein-Rubin and

Fabus discussed the importance of clinicians, and other professionals that may interact with your

client (2012). It’s important that if the client were to get transferred to another professional, that

they would be able to pick up right where you left off and understand exactly which diagnosis

you were working with. With other professionals in mind, it’s important to note that a report you

send over may be the only contact you have with that other clinician (Roth and Worthington,

2005). In order to hold a strong reputation, it will start with strong writing skills. Others may

determine who you are as a clinician based on your ability to effectively communicate and

document. In addition to other professionals, it’s important to remember that family members or

patients may also read any reports that are made. Because of this, some of the technical

language may not be well understood. When discussing terms that may not be familiar to all,
descriptions should also be added to abbreviations. For example, if talking about ASHA, others

might now know that this stands for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

(Goldfarb and Serpanos, 2014).

While diagnostic reports are one of the most common in the field, Speech Pathologists

also need to be fluent in writing reports, treatment plans and progress notes (Burris and Willis,

2017). In a general report you will typically see background information on the client, case

history, health history, developmental milestones, and education (Stein-Rubin and Fabus, 2012).

Burris and Willis discussed that in Speech Pathologists writings, there should be respect,

sensitivity to context, professional terminology, organization, and accuracy of information

(2017). “Careful study must be given to language usage, report composition and form, and the

use of an appropriate writing style” (Middleton, et al., 1992). You must be proper and non-

biased when talking about a client. Also, many times this documentation needs to be turned in

for insurance purposes, so it is very important that everything is correct. Because of this, the

client is trusting that you possess the skills necessary to create the proper paperwork.

Finally, it’s important to remember that the information in a diagnostic report contains

your impression of the client over a certain amount of time, not the client’s overall

communication ability (Middleton, et al., 1992). Once all of a client’s information is gathered

into a diagnostic report, it is then used to determine a treatment plan that will best fit. Treatment

plans are often made by not just the Speech Pathologist, but also many other resources in that

client’s life such as teachers, parents and friends. Anyone that can give insight into what types

of issues the client may be dealing with become an important part of the history. When dealing

with therapy, it is very important to track a client’s progress, so it can be determined whether the

treatment plan is being used effectively.

 Overall, being able to write professionally is absolutely necessary no matter what field

you are in. Although some may use is more than others, in the case of a Speech Pathologist,

your job may depend on it. If you can’t accurately form the background of a client and track all

interactions, it would be impossible to communicate this information to other necessary

professionals.
 Works Cited

Burrus, A. E., & Willis, L. B. (2017). Professional Communication in Speech-Language

Pathology: How to Write, Talk, and Act Like a Clinician. San Diego, CA: Plural

Publishing.

Goldfarb, R., & Serpanos, Y. C. (2014). Professional Writing in Speech-Language Pathology

and Audiology (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Plural.

Middleton, G., Pannbacker, M., Vekovius, G., Sanders, K., & Puett, V. (1992). Report Writing

for Speech-Language Pathologists. Tucson, AZ: Communication Skill Builders.

Roth, F.P. & Worthington, C.K. (2005). Treatment Resource Manual for Speech-Language

Pathology. Third Edition. Clifton Park, NY. Thomson Delmar Learning.

Stein-Rubin, C., & Fabus, R. L. (2012). A Guide to Clinical Assessment and Professional Report

Writing in Speech-Language Pathology. Cilifton Park, NY: Cengage Learning.