The Results Are In

The results are late and not scientific but they are finally being “published” on here.  Don’t remember what I’m talking about?  Almost exactly one year ago I decided to find out once and for all if we SLPs were as unique of a group as we thought.  Our hypotheses included SLPs (or at least those in our class) were more likely to be first born, left-handed, and to have cooked extra long in the womb.  My big plan was to use SPSS to analyze the results and be all scientific about it but then I got lazy and didn’t have access to SPSS (but actually I did in the computer lab until April).  It is safe to say that I’m not going to follow through and that it isn’t even a true random sample because all participants were self-selected, and all non-SLPs for comparison were on my facebook and therefore more likely to be in the same socioeconomic class as myself and at the same or similar education level.

Fact:
N (slp) = 31
N (non) = 37

Enough prefacing – here are the results:

Question 1:  Are you an SLP?

We’ve got ourselves a nice sample.

Question 2:  Are you a first born?

Remember, this is not scientific so I have no idea if these numbers are SIGNIFICANT but it looks like the answer to this one it YES.  Yes, SLPs are more likely to be a first child and to bring along all the control issues and over-achieving inherent to the position.


Question 3:  Did you cook too long?  ie Time spent in womb

On this front things look pretty equal.  My gut says these results are not significant so our hunch was wrong – being in the womb too long is not necessarily related to the typical SLP personality or a strong desire to watch people swallow things.

Question 4:  Tell me which hand you prefer (Right or Left)

This one is clearly scientific.  SLPs are officially more likely to be left handed than the general population.  The world average is 5-10% of the population and we hit a full quarter.  A creative bunch?  One needs to be creative to come up with a way to make teaching children gerunds fun and effective.  “Jumping.  She is JUMPing.  Jumping!”


Question 5:  How did you do in school?  What was the lowest grade you have ever received since the beginning of undergrad?


This was a lot of analysis for, what looked to my extremely trained eye (sarcasm), to be inconclusive.  Perhaps I should have asked for the second lowest grade ever since we all have that one that haunts us – or that could just be me.

Question 6:  Did/Do you play the French Horn?

Maybe all that left-handedness is paying off – only 23% of SLPs (surveyed) find music only in their souls compared to 49% of the “general” population.  The french horn and wind instruments are appear especially popular.  Does anyone have a joke about SLPs and our affinity for wind instruments/long tubes?

Did anyone fit the whole profile?

Yes!  One person fit the entire profile of an SLP:  first born, late delivered, left-handed, over-achieving, french horn player!

There was a close second as well that hit all the criteria but plays some other wind instrument.

Question 7:  What did you get for Christmas?
Nerdiness all around.  I don’t feel like analyzing this one but it looks like everyone (SLP and Non) likes to get children’s books for Christmas.

Question 8:  Tell me something terribly nerdy/neurotic
This question was optional and SLPs were primarily the only ones to offer something up (except my former OT-roomie).  Here are a few choice submissions:
“For my 10th birthday (or so) party, I wrote a schedule, timed to the quarter hour, and got somewhat upset when things didn’t go according to plan…”


“Well, I think I have become even more last minute than ever before since I started this program. I’ve pulled more all-nighters and have had more coffee (to the point where my tolerance is crazy). These are indicators that I am one of the more relaxed people in class. I just wanna be a good SLP. BEST NEWS I HEARD RECENTLY: MARKS DON’T MATTER FOR JOBS. WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL mouhahahah (hehe)”


“I would not call myself a keener or particularly uptight, although I absolutely HATE listening to someone speak when they have excess saliva/mucous/phlegm in their throat and won’t clear it.”


“I remember in grade 7, I got a B- for my French spelling (I am a terrible speller!) and I started to cry and when a boy named S.P. who had a crush on me asked me why I actually yelled at him that I got a B- and universities didn’t accept people that got B-‘s. I have never told anyone that story.”  Woops, now you told the whole internets.


“I won the “Too Keen For School Award”. Nuff said.”


“I have to eat my peanut butter from the jar in flat lines… can’t just scoop a spoonful out and leave it. Also I got stressed out by choose-your-own-ending books for the exact same reason as you!”