Speak Out August 2016 Low Res

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August 2016 Speak Out 33
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as at June 2016
Branch News
Speech pathology in Vietnam
A student’s perspective
Chloe Jitts taking a group therapy session at the Kianh Centre.
The University of Newcastle (UoN) offers the
South East Asian stream, where students complete
an elective to learn about speech pathology in
South East Asia, and NGOs like Speech Pathology
Australia and the Trinh Foundation. Students also
complete an individualised learning project and
undertake a clinical placement abroad. In April
2016, three fellow speech pathology students and
I were lucky enough to complete this placement in
Vietnam.
We spent the first two weeks at the Kianh Day
Centre in Hoi An. The centre was established by
Jackie Rafter, and there are 99 beautiful children
who have the opportunity to learn in a supportive
classroom environment. There is no speech
pathologist employed at the centre, however with
the input of volunteer speech pathologists, clinical
educators, and student speech pathologists from
UoN, children have been able to improve their
communication skills. Under the supervision of
speech pathologists, and in collaboration with
teachers, teachers’ aides, and interpreters, we
worked with more than half of the children. Daily
group therapy focused on articulation, picture
exchange, social skills, and object/picture
matching. Individual therapy saw us working with
children with autism, cerebral palsy, visual and
hearing impairments, and developmental delay.
The skill level of teachers at the centre, who have
not necessarily received formal training, was
astounding.
In our final week, we travelled to Ho Chi Minh
City to work with speech therapists at various
hospitals. A speech therapist who previously
graduated from the two-year post-graduate training
course delivered at Pham Ngoc Thach University
of Medicine provided joint clinical support with
our clinical educator from Australia. We each
had different experiences with assessments and
therapy for voice, swallowing, early language,
and speech. We spent time in the NICU ward
with premature babies who had cleft lips and cleft
palates, and witnessed the positive impact that
speech pathology had in the lives of these children
and their families. It was a wonderful experience to
work collaboratively with the Vietnamese speech
therapists and understand their role in delivering a
service that is in such high demand.
Following my trip, a part of my individualised
learning project now involves the production of
a short video to raise awareness of the need
for speech therapy services in Vietnam. While
the Kianh Centre is an important step towards
providing those services, there are still only 32
Vietnamese-trained speech therapists to support a
population of 90 million. But the word is spreading,
and families are realising how speech therapy
can help their loved ones. The Trinh Foundation
welcomes volunteer speech pathologists to
assist in the growth and development of speech
pathology in Vietnam, and I would encourage more
Australians to get involved.
On our trip there were challenges, but also
opportunities. We saw the importance of flexibility,
embraced holistic practice, and focused on the
needs and culture of the people with whom we
worked. For me, working collaboratively as a team,
and considering speech pathology beyond our own
borders, is a passion that will never die.
Chloe Jitts
4th Year Student, Speech Pathology,
The University of Newcastle.
Supported by Trinh Foundation Australia
)