Technically, there is no difference anymore between a speech therapist and a speech pathologist. There used to be a difference that was based on the training of the individual. It used to be that a speech therapist had an undergraduate degree (BA), whereas the speech pathologist had additional training and held a masters degree (MS).

I personally still prefer to be referred to as a speech pathologist, as I have not only received the training, but I have been working in the field for quite a while. You can see a list of my education, training, and certifications here: Speech Pathologist

Here are the steps that I recommend:

• Talk with your pediatrician about your concerns and ask of a referral to a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. If you prefer going on your own, you can search the internet or phone book. Your key words are ‘speech therapist’ or ‘occupational therapist’ in (your city name here).
• Check with your insurance company to ensure that these services are covered.
  
• Contact the therapists. Ask whether they take your insurance, their hours of operation and their background (experience) in the field. If you are satisfied, schedule an appointment to obtain an initial evaluation. These evaluations will let you know, if any speech, language or motor problems exist.
  
• If a problem does exist, you will need to decide whether to pursue therapy or not.
  

Please know that most children do not grow out of their problems…they just get worse over time. So the earlier you can remedy problems, the better it is for your child to focus on age appropriate activities in and out of school.

There is no set time frame for how long a child will need speech therapy. Every child is different and their rate of progress depends on several factors. These factors include: the severity of their disability, whether they get along with their therapist, how open they are to working with family members and their motivation to improve.