others say, read and write -- is a unique human achievement. It plays a vital role in all aspects of daily life, and is something which most people take for granted.

For those with speech and language disorders, however, life can be frustrating and depressing.

When problems develop -- through illness, accident or aging -- they affect everything from learning to relationships, independence and emotional well-being.

Poor performance at school or work, limited job opportunities, feelings of embarrassment, rejection and poor self-image are just some of the side effects resulting from an inability to communicate effectively.

Communication disorders vary in severity, and include stuttering, misarticulation (difficulty with the way sounds are formed and strung together), poor voice control, aphasia (the inability to use or understand words) and learning disabilities.

In the past, those with communication disorders were sidelined from the mainstream of life and left to their fate.

Today, things are very different. Thanks to advances in medical technology, and the skills of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, patients can be brought to an optimum level of rehabilitation.

Speech-language therapists (in British parlance) or speech-language pathologists (the North American/Bermudian term) are specialists in speech and language development and related disorders. Their responsibilities include evaluation, diagnosis and therapy, and they help patients to develop and maintain their ability to express thoughts and feelings.

They may work primarily in a medical specialty, helping people to recover from the effects of a stroke, head injury or disease. Or they may be involved in education -- evaluating and treating children with delayed or impaired speech or language.

Here, as elsewhere, Bermuda has a dedicated group of speech-language pathologists who work in various areas to rehabilitate and restore vital communication skills.

All are members of the Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (ASLP) of Bermuda, of which Mrs. Mary Torpy-Dyer is president.

Formed in 1990, ASLP satisfies Government's requirement that all Professionals Supplementary to Medicine, as defined in the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act, 1973.

ASLP's responsibilities include assisting in the registration of newly-qualified professionals. It ultimately reports back to the chief medical officer, Dr. John Cann.

In order to practice locally in a clinical setting (private practice, the hospitals, education and the Government health clinic), speech-language pathologists must be registered with the Council of Professionals Supplementary to Medicine, for which the qualification is certification in the country of training from an accredited training course which meets Bermudian standards for registration.

"That is really important,'' Mrs. Torpy-Dyer explained. "If you trained in England you would be certified to practice with the College of Speech and Language Therapists, and if you trained in the US you would have a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association.'' Members meet monthly to discuss clinical policies and share professional problems, among other things.

Speech-language pathologists work in many areas.

"Mrs. Brenda Wilson, Mrs. Sherrilee Lynch-Bucci and Mrs. Valerie Press work in the Education Department with children from age four upwards who have a variety of problems -- stammering, voice problems, developmental disabilities, speech and language problems,'' Mrs. Torpy-Dyer explained.

At the Health Department on Victoria Street, Mrs. Yvonne West works with anyone experiencing communication problems. Mrs. Pat Azaro works with two- to four-year-olds at the Child Development Centre.

Mrs. Torpy-Dyer is in private practice, and works with the general population.

"I deal with development disorders, speech, language and voice problems, stroke and cancer patients and those who have neurological problems due to trauma such as motor vehicle accidents and birth injuries,'' the president explained.

Miss Heather Coles works the King Edward VII Hospital's rehabilitation unit and at St. Brendan's. Her patients include babies and those with communication difficulties.

Speech-language pathologists undergo a long and complex university training before earning their professional qualification. Following that, they must spend a year in the field, under supervision, before being certified. The process takes between five and years.

"It is a rigorous training which involves theory and a lot of clinical practicum,'' British-born Mrs. Torpy-Dyer explained. "You have to study normal and abnormal psychology, anatomy and physiology, phonetics, linguistics, normal speech and language, development disorders, voice, fluency, audiology, speech perception, neurology, statistics and research design.

"Your training teaches you how to assess communication problems informally in addition to the use of formal testing. Research is taking place all the time, and we are discovering more and more about the process of communication, verbal and non-verbal.

"If people need communication aids we assess those needs and recommend a choice of aids. In today's world, there is a huge range of aids, including computers and microwriters, which are constantly being updated.

"It is a very busy profession, very challenging, and very stressful,'' the president said.

Noting the differences in training methods among her colleagues, Mrs.

Torpy-Dyer said this was a plus.

"We are delighted to have people train in the UK, US and Canada and bring differing expertise to Bermuda. We are especially pleased to have born Bermudians now joining our Association.'' Since the goal is to have patients functioning as normally as possible in their own environment, speech skills include preservation of the relevant pattern.

"Language is a living thing. It is made up of your accent and your dialect.

That is how you put your language together,'' Mrs. Torpy-Dyer said. "You also have egocentric language -- your own words that develop within your social setting.

"The speech-language pathologist helps each person to communicate in the way which is appropriate to their environment. For example, you don't teach a Bermudian to speak like an English person. We are not elocution teachers.'' But all the training in the world would be of little help without the patient's co-operation, so building a good rapport is a key element.

"In order to be a good therapist, the patient must be motivated and find the therapy enjoyable -- especially children,'' Mrs. Torpy-Dyer said. "The atmosphere must be such that the patient achieves success. For example, if a child wants to play outside, then you do the therapy outside.'' And are children more difficult to work with than adults? "Not harder, just different,'' the speech-language pathologist replied.

LET'S TALK! -- Members of the Association of Speech-Language Pathologists of Bermuda, from left, Mrs. Mary Torpy-Dyer (president), Miss Heather Coles, Mrs.

Brenda Wilson and Mrs. Yvonne West regularly meet to discuss clinical policies and share professional problems. Missing from the photo are fellow association members Mrs. Pat Azaro, Mrs. Sherrilee Lynch-Bucci and Mrs. Valerie Press.