8:15 am: Jim and I start the workshop with our lecture on Auditory-Verbal Teaching Techniques. About 25 participants listen to us as we describe how we help parents teach their children to listen and talk. We enjoy sharing stories about our 30+ years of teaching hundreds of families. We share how we learned all this from Dr. Daniel Ling, Helen Beebe, Judy Simser, and I must say - by raising our own three children! After our presentation, we break into three groups to coach therapists teaching their families.
I am lucky because I have Thuy who is the best interpreter we have. She is the director of the Early Intervention Thuan Center near Saigon. She is an experienced therapist herself. I coach a great therapist Quyen who works at this hospital.
We have 6 therapists observing this AV coach coaching a therapist who wants to be a better listening and spoken language therapist coach a parent. I have two adorable little boys who love to communicate. I am able to share what I know and love with a therapist who wants to advance his skills. Though the two boys may not be listening as well as I’d like, the therapist is aware of that need and they are scheduled to meet with the GFCHL audiologists. Talking about how this will make a difference makes me happy to help. This is what I came to Vietnam to do.
I share some of my favorites Auditory-Verbal techniques; having the parent have their own set of Ling 6 sound toys, having the parent make an Experience Book of meaningful language, having the parent and therapist assess the level of hearing/language/speech/cognition/communication, and having the therapist give weekly goals to the parent.
Jim also teaches two adorable boys and their families. One dad is also attending the workshop. He is a Head and neck surgeon who is being trained to also be a speech-language pathologist focusing on teaching children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Judy teaches two cute kids – but had a very challenging morning; for Judy to be challenged, this much be tough! The kids are not aided properly. The knowledge that you cannot figure out what is going on – no assessment or clear audiology information about the child and very poor interpreting.
The hospital provides us with a packaged lunch. For lunch Jim has squid! The therapist has to make a special trip back to the kitchen to get me a plant strong lunch, though I did not want them to go to any trouble, I am thrilled to have a luscious hot seasonal vegetable stir fry over crispy rice noodles.
In the afternoon Judy Simser gives her stellar Cognition presentation with great photos of toys and how to us them.
An hour of more coaching ends our day. I have a little girl who had two cochlear implants. Bao Nhi can only listen with one CI because she has had an infection on that side. My team of therapists are keen to see what I can help them do for Nhi and her mother. This mother rides 12 hours on a Coach bus to come to the hospital. She stays for two weeks to get her CI adjusted, treat the infection, and receive therapy. Before long we have Nhi singing the vehicle songs and discriminating toys in fun games. My heart goes out to this mom. I want to help this therapist evaluate Nhi: get her the goals and objectives in line for this child. Again, offering the demonstration of what can happen for a child with a CI to these therapists is why I came to Vietnam. I hope I can help them learn to treat kids like Nhi in more efficient and thus more effective ways. Assessment and Planning is key to good treatment. That is what is on the schedule for tomorrow morning.
