Top SPA Flashcards

In many college course schedules, “SPA” is an abbreviation for “Speech Pathology.” It’s the study of all the various medical conditions that can lead to problems with communication. Human language is incredibly complex. Neuroscientists are just now beginning to discover all the ways in which language has re-wired the human brain, enabling us to communicate in a way that no other animal can. That requires a whole new set of connections deep in the brain between areas that aren’t connected in other animals; it means fine coordination of the small muscles of the lips, jaw, throat, and chest; and it means being able to think and speak all at breathtaking speed.

But all that complexity comes with a price: if anything goes wrong in the many biological pathways that produce language, then speech becomes impossible. That’s why speech pathology is such an important specialty. Speech pathologists have to understand all the different parts that go into allowing a human being to speak, and have to be able to diagnose when one of these parts is malfunctioning. More importantly, speech pathologists apply this knowledge to help real people and change their lives for the better.