I'm ready for my close-up, Dr. Van Riper

Through the years as an SLP, I have endured stark encounters with family and friends where they ask questions of what I do, often by saying " What do you do?" then they follow up after I describe a typical day, by saying, "REALLY! I never knew that speech therapists do this!". After that, I often make an observation that there have been very few opportunities for SLP's to toot the horn of this profession. After all, how often do you see an SLP represented in pop culture or by "the mainstream media"? And, if you have, could you believe your eyes and ears?!

For example, who can name a popular film in which SLP was prominently portrayed, apart than these films (attribution to the fine site "Speech Buddies" (speechbuddy.com) for this list)?

* The King's Speech
* Regarding Henry
* The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
* The Wild Child
* Sound and Fury
* Children of a Lesser God

There have also been TV series in variable formats (broadcast/cable/web), that portrayed persons with communication and cognition disorders, and the persons who interact with them. What programs can the reader recall other than the following?

* "Speechless" (the nonspeaking teenager has family and an aide translating his eyegaze communication)
* "Standardized" (fix my accent, please!)
* "MASH" (Winchester's affinity for helping persons who stutter)
*  "ER" (Cynthia Nixon cured of a severe aphasia in less than an hour)
* "Beavis and Butthead" (the boys talk about what they know, to learn more about articulation)

When it comes to the printed word, there are more options. You can consult the site GOODREADS, for lists of popular books on subjects related to communication and cognition disorders <https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/communication-disorders>.

Why is this important? There is so much competition for our eyes and ears, in learning about the world and making decisions about the meaning of life. I want the story of my profession told extremely well, and the day to day perceptions of a life that lights me up made so clear to the world, that the reader can see glimpses of how life's biggest questions may be answered. Maybe.