Matt Foster, Speech Pathologist and Humanitarian

If you love helping people, you might love being a speech pathologist.

Meet Matt Foster, Speech Pathologist and Humanitarian

What does a speech pathologist do?

I work with many people, teaching them how to organize their thoughts and put them into words to speak, sign, or use a device like an iPad that says the words that they select.  I also work with people who have difficulty with feeding or swallowing.

What inspired you to be a speech pathologist?

I always wanted to work with kids.  My sister-in-law was going to school to be a speech pathologist.  I was in college studying to have different job than a speech pathologist.  My sister in law told me about speech pathology and I changed my studies to become one.

What did you have to do to become a speech pathologist?

I went to college and got a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology. That is a degree that takes six years to complete.

What do you have to know a lot about for your job?

It’s very important to study a lot, not just in school but out of school too.  If I don’t, than I won't be the best that I can be at my job.  I need to know a lot about how kids learn language, and also I need to know how to teach kids to communicate who may not be able to learn language in the manner of most kids.  I need to know sign language (I’m still learning it), Spanish, and how to teach kids to talk using devices like iPads that say words when the screen is pressed. 

What is the hardest thing about becoming a speech pathologist, and being a speech pathologist?

The hardest thing about becoming a speech therapist is getting accepted into a college graduate program, lasting two years, then keeping up your grades in college so they are good enough to be selected for only a limited number of students.

What do you love most about your job?

I love playing with children.  I love the relations that I form with people.  I love seeing kids use new words while in therapy.  I also love hearing from parents that their kids are saying new words at home.

What else do you want to be when you grow up? (This can be something crazy that may never come true, but that's fun to dream about...)

I want to help kids who have been abused by bad people by visiting them in their countries.  I want to see those kids smile.  I also want to help kids in my city who have been abused by bad people,  I want to be a friend to those kids and teach them that they can still work hard, accomplish goals, be happy and serve others. 

Matt is already making this dream come true by getting involved. Here are some ways he's a super hero!

I’ve been involved with an organization called Operation Shield.  I get to go to Haiti with them to visit kids in orphanages who have been rescued from dark days of doing horrible things for horrible people.  I get to help these kids see that there are people who love them.  The kids in these orphanages need help from as many people who are willing to help.  I also help them by organizing fundraisers to help pay for a counselor to visit them and help them resolve their problems. 

Matt and Monica are also super heroes to their son, who they adopted. 

We adopted a special boy over six years ago.  It was such a blessing because at the time, we could not have a child on our own; we had been trying for a very, very long time.  Now we have two children, our second child was a miracle too.  Now, we are thinking that maybe we will adopt again soon.  The cool thing that adoption has taught me is that “love is stronger than blood,” meaning that if someone is part of your family, it doesn’t matter if you are related to them biologically or through adoption, the bonds of love keep you together as a family.  Sometimes I forget that my son is adopted because, at this point in time, he’s just my son.

If you're feeling heroic like the Fosters, 
check out this website full of ideas for serving your community.

To learn more about how to be a speech therapist, check out this.

And try these to learn more about how your voice works, and what causes stuttering.

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When her kingdom falls short in fairy tale rankings, the Queen orders all her subjects to attend her new school for knights and princesses. But when the boys refuse to slay dragons and the girls protest their glass slippers, the Queen has to rethink her idea of happily ever after.