17 Speech Therapy Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

Speech therapy assistants work one-on-one with patients who have difficulty speaking, swallowing, or eating. They help patients improve their communication and swallowing abilities by providing exercises and treatments.

If you’re looking for a job as a speech therapy assistant, you’ll likely need to go through a job interview. To help you prepare, we’ve put together a list of common speech therapy assistant interview questions and answers.

Are you comfortable working with patients who have special needs?

Speech therapy assistants often work with patients who have special needs. Employers ask this question to make sure you are comfortable working with these types of patients. They also want to know if you have any experience working with them. If you do, explain what kind of special needs patients you worked with and how you helped them. If you don’t have experience working with special needs patients, explain that you would be willing to learn more about it.

Example: “I am very comfortable working with special needs patients. In my previous role as a speech therapist assistant, I worked with many different kinds of special needs patients. Some of the most common ones were autism spectrum disorder patients and developmental delay patients. I was able to help these patients by using techniques like PECS and Makaton sign language.”

What are some of the most important skills you have to be a speech therapy assistant?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and qualifications to be a speech therapy assistant. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention some of your soft skills, such as communication or organization skills, along with any hard skills that are relevant to the position, like medical terminology or computer skills.

Example: “I think one of the most important skills for a speech therapy assistant is being able to communicate effectively with patients and other members of the healthcare team. I am always sure to listen carefully to what my patients say so that I understand their concerns and needs. Another skill I find useful in this role is having strong organizational skills. I keep detailed notes on each patient’s progress throughout treatment so that I can refer back to them when needed.”

How would you handle a situation where a patient is not making progress with their speech therapy?

This question can help interviewers understand how you handle challenges in your work. Your answer should show that you are willing to take responsibility for the patient’s progress and find ways to improve their treatment plan.

Example: “If a patient is not making progress, I would first ask them about any barriers they’re experiencing with their speech therapy. For example, if they have trouble remembering what they learned during sessions, I might suggest additional exercises or strategies to help them remember information. If there aren’t any barriers preventing progress, I would discuss the issue with my supervisor so we could come up with new ideas to help the patient.”

What is your experience with working with children?

This question can help the interviewer determine your experience level and how you feel about working with children. If you have no prior experience, you can talk about what inspired you to pursue a career in speech therapy.

Example: “I’ve worked as an after-school tutor for five years now, helping students learn math and reading skills. I love seeing them grow and develop their confidence throughout the year. In my last position, I also helped out with some of the younger patients at the hospital where I was employed. I enjoyed being able to work with all ages and see the progress they made.”

Provide an example of when you used your critical thinking skills to solve a problem.

Speech therapists need to be able to think critically and solve problems in order to help their patients. Your answer should show the interviewer that you have these skills and can apply them when needed.

Example: “When I was working as a speech therapist, one of my students had trouble pronouncing certain sounds. After observing him for several weeks, I noticed he only had this problem when speaking with his parents. This led me to believe it was a confidence issue rather than a hearing or cognitive problem. I spoke with his parents about my theory and they agreed to try some exercises at home to build his confidence. It worked, and after a few months, he no longer had any issues pronouncing those sounds.”

If a patient is having difficulty pronouncing a certain sound, what strategies would you use to help them improve?

This question can help the interviewer gain insight into your methods for helping patients with speech therapy. Your answer should include a specific example of how you helped someone pronounce a sound and what results you achieved.

Example: “I had a patient who was having difficulty pronouncing the ‘th’ sound in words like ‘the’ and ‘three.’ I first asked him to repeat the sounds several times, which he did without much trouble. Then, I used a tongue twister that included the ‘th’ sound multiple times, such as ‘The three little kittens lost their mittens.’ After repeating this sentence several times, my patient was able to say the ‘th’ sound correctly.”

What would you do if you noticed another speech therapy assistant was not working well with a patient?

This question can help interviewers understand how you work with others and your ability to resolve conflict. Your answer should show that you are willing to speak up when necessary, but also that you respect the opinions of others.

Example: “If I noticed another speech therapy assistant was not working well with a patient, I would first try to talk to them about it in private. If they were still acting unprofessionally, I would bring it to my supervisor’s attention so they could handle it. In this situation, I would want to make sure the other speech therapy assistant understood why their behavior was inappropriate.”

How well do you understand the concept of HIPAA and its importance when working with patients?

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patient privacy. It’s important to understand HIPAA because it can help you avoid violating patients’ rights or putting your job at risk. Your answer should show that you know what HIPAA is and why it’s important.

Example: “HIPAA is a federal law that requires healthcare providers to protect their patients’ private information. I am familiar with this law because my previous employer had regular trainings on how to follow its guidelines. I also took an online course on HIPAA so I could learn more about it and ensure I understood all of its requirements.”

Do you have experience using speech therapy software and other technology tools?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn about your experience with speech therapy software and other technology tools. If you have experience using these tools, share what types of software or technology you’ve used in the past and how it helped you complete your job duties.

Example: “I’ve worked as a speech therapy assistant for five years now, and I’ve had experience working with several different types of speech therapy software. In my previous role, we used SpeechPad Pro, which allowed me to record sessions and track data on clients’ progress. The software also provided us with useful information like client goals and objectives, so I could use that information to help plan each session.”

When working with a patient, how do you determine the appropriate level of intensity for each exercise?

The interviewer may ask you a question like this to assess your ability to work independently and make decisions that affect the patient’s treatment. Your answer should demonstrate your critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.

Example: “I first determine what level of intensity is appropriate for the patient based on their goals and current condition. I then use my knowledge of the exercises we perform in speech therapy to select the right one for each patient. For example, if a patient has difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, I might choose an exercise where they repeat words with those sounds. If a patient needs help articulating consonants, I would choose an exercise that focuses on them.”

We want to improve our documentation process. Tell me about your experience with documenting patient progress.

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your experience with documentation and how you can improve their current process. Use examples from your previous job or school setting to explain what you did, why it was effective and how it helped the speech therapist.

Example: “In my last position, I worked alongside a speech therapist who used an online database to record patient progress. She would enter notes on each session, including goals for that day’s therapy and any challenges she encountered. At the end of each week, she would summarize her notes into one document so she could reflect on her patients’ progress over the past seven days. This system allowed her to keep track of all her patients while also providing weekly summaries.”

Describe your experience with working with adults.

Speech therapy assistants often work with adults, so employers ask this question to make sure you have experience working with this age group. They want to know that you can handle the challenges of working with adults and that you’re comfortable in an adult setting. When answering this question, focus on your relevant experience and highlight any skills or traits you developed while working with adults.

Example: “I’ve worked with adults for five years now, starting as a receptionist at a medical office where I interacted with patients of all ages. In my current role, I assist speech therapists with their sessions, which means I’m always working with adults. I find it easy to relate to them because I understand what they’re going through and how important communication is to them.”

What makes you stand out from other candidates for this position?

Employers ask this question to learn more about your qualifications and how you can contribute to their team. When answering, it’s important to highlight a skill or experience that makes you unique from other candidates. You may also want to mention something that relates to the job description.

Example: “I have been working in speech therapy for five years now, so I am familiar with many of the techniques used in this field. However, I still take continuing education courses to learn new methods and improve my skills. In fact, I recently completed a course on sensory integration, which is an area I would like to work on improving. This knowledge could help me be a better assistant to the speech therapist.”

Which age group do you most enjoy working with?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have experience working with children of a certain age. It can also show them which age group you enjoy most and whether or not you would be happy in this role. When answering, try to focus on your passion for working with children rather than any dislike for other age groups.

Example: “I love working with all ages, but I find that I am especially passionate about working with younger children. I feel like I really make an impact when I work with kids who are just learning how to communicate. I love seeing their progress as they learn new words and start forming sentences.”

What do you think is the most important aspect of a successful therapy session?

This question can help the interviewer determine your understanding of speech therapy and how you approach each session. Your answer should show that you understand what is important to a successful session, such as communication with the patient and their family members, time management and organization skills.

Example: “I think the most important aspect of a successful therapy session is having an open line of communication between myself and the patient. I find it’s helpful to ask them questions about their day-to-day life so I can better understand their goals and progress. It also helps me explain the process to their families or caregivers so they know what to expect during each session.”

How often do you perform progress checks with patients?

Speech therapy assistants often perform progress checks with patients to ensure they’re making the right kind of progress. Employers ask this question to make sure you have experience performing these assessments and understand how to interpret them. In your answer, explain that you’ve done progress checks before and provide an example of what a typical assessment looks like.

Example: “I perform progress checks at least once per session. I find that doing so allows me to notice small improvements in speech patterns or pronunciation. For instance, when working with my last patient, I noticed that she was having trouble pronouncing certain consonants. We worked on her pronunciation for several sessions until she could pronounce those consonants correctly.”

There is a conflict between your schedule and a patient’s. What would you do?

This question is a way for the interviewer to assess your ability to prioritize patients and manage your time. Your answer should show that you understand how important it is to keep appointments on schedule, but also that you are willing to reschedule if necessary.

Example: “I would first try to find another speech therapist who could take over the patient’s appointment. If there was no one available, I would call the patient and explain the situation. Then, I would offer them an alternative date or time. If they were not happy with my solution, I would ask if they wanted me to contact the speech therapist again. If they still did not want to change their appointment, I would make sure to be at work early so I could help them as soon as possible.”