Saturday Vietnam House Farewell Dinner

Friday at the Rehab Center Mobile Mission conclusion

Maryanne smiles as she joins in a lesson at Hand in Hand....Judy is pleased with the new way or organizing toys at Hand in Hand....
Hien tries out the otoscope donated by Sunshine Cottage delivered by Jacque Patton.
Audiologist Jacque Patton poses for a photo with grateful people at Hand in Hand.
GFCHL Mobile Mission Audiologists with Hien and Maryanne at Hand in Hand.
Rehabilitation center pool
Rehab Center doorway with shoe rack

"hen gap lai" -- "see you again"

At 8 am the GFCHL Mobile Mission team members meet in the hotel lobby as usual. We say good-bye to our director, Paige Stringer, because she is going back to HCMC early to meet with her doctor regarding the recovery of her broken kneecap.

Jacque, Sophia, and I have not seen the Hand in Hand center. Maryanne arranges for us to have a tour or her center before we go to the Rehabilitation Center today.

See the pictures of this organized Early Intervention Center. It looks like a great place to do listening and spoken language therapy with an audiology booth on the first floor. I love the homey feeling to this friendly building.

Over at the larger Rehab Center which services 150 children, 45 children with hearing loss and just 12 Early Intervention kids, I find my team of teachers who have been listening to me all week. These ‘teachers as learners’ are not all “teachers of the deaf”. As I understand it, only a few of my ten are actually full time “teachers of the deaf”. Some teach older HI kid – one with a class of 18 yr olds, one with a class of 10-12 yr olds. Some teach autistic kids. Some have mentally delayed students. One is a professor at the university in Nha Trang. One is the assistant to the principal of this center. A couple I am not sure what or who they teach.

The fact that there is no one person focusing on being an “Auditory-Verbal Therapist type” disturbs me. For, it is over 35 years now that I am specializing in this kind of therapy. Even though I have a degree in Speech-language pathology and learn from the best professionals in the field, even though I read and read re-read every book I can get my hands on about this therapy, and talk with my colleagues around the world about cases and therapy ideas, I know I still need to learn more in order to do my job well. How can anyone do this “part-time” and answer the needs of these parents who require such specific guidance in understanding audiology, speech pathology, hearing aids, cochlear implants, deafness, developmental milestones, speech acoustics, behavior modifications, lesson planning, diagnostics and everything else?

I wonder if what I am sharing this week is really helpful to them in their specific line of special education teaching. I do not find out that they are not all Early Intervention teacher/therapists for children with hearing loss until Thursday of this week.

Now I understand why they had no idea about what Judy and I were lecturing about in auditory memory and listening development. Now I see how they could allow the Early Intervention preschool to be in such a noisy classroom with airplane flying over every other minute. There is no one thinking about the Ten Principles of Auditory-Verbal practice here. Do they really not know about this basic information?

This is like the dark ages of teaching – like when Jim and I started into the field in the 1970s. Fortunately we met Dr. Daniel Ling, PhD, who captured us with his charisma. Jim studied with Dan at McGill University, had his practicum experience with Judy Simser at CHEO. I taught at the Montreal Oral School with principal, Doris Leckie. Jim and I then spent a year being trained by Helen Beebe in Pennsylvania. Working with these master clinicians awakened in us the possibilities for children who have even a tiny bit of hearing. We learned auditory-verbal principles and techniques. Our students started to learn to listen and talk. We learned to teach “through the parent”.

Jim and I keep on learning as our field changes during the next decades. We have many teachers along the way. We are still learning, but this is our specialty. Parents who choose to work with us know that all we do is think of ways to make the job of coaching them easier. We love our jobs. We love learning how to do our jobs better.

Perhaps these teachers do, too. I can hope that what I share with them this week is expanding their knowledge. I am a bit confused as I came here to train teachers who are working with ‘deaf kids’. That is my mission.

The children I see these weeks in Vietnam are some of the most deaf I have ever seen – so many with profound losses. Really, all we saw are those with profound deafness. I tell the teacher in my country all these kids would get two cochlear implants.

When I explain that every kid I teach can repeat the Ling 6 Sounds from at least 15 feet away, they are surprised. If they don’t here the sounds, my studnets get an implant. Because I work with infants and their parents, the kids learn to listen well. By the time they are age 3 or 4, they speak well. They sound “normal” and go to regular school.

I caution them about being completely auditory with their students in Vietnam because, if the child cannot hear all the sounds across the speech frequencies (all the Ling sounds), then it is not really fair. Now that technology is available, get the correct technology for listening well. We must use technology to help us.

The correct hearing aids or cochlear implants might not be an option for children in Vietnam. Did I hear that there is only 1 certified audiologist in all of Vietnam? I know there is not even 1 certified auditory-verbal therapist in this country. Now I am questioning the value of my work here.

I throw this out for discussion with my team of teachers. The professor says; “It’s impossible!” I nod my head to show that I do understand how he feels, but respond with one of my favorite quotes; “I think nothing is impossible, in fact in my language, the word “impossible” has the word; “I’m possible” in it!”

They serve us a delicious lunch. We meet for one more lecture, question/answer time, and the 'post test"!

We had out certificates. They honor us with gifts and speeches.

I say; "Thank you for listening to me all week. What a great group of teachers! I hope you understand more about Auditory-Verbal Therapy and the opportunities for listening and spoken language development for children who are deaf. I hope you can develop a fund to raise money for cochlear implants. I hope you can establish a full-time Auditory Skills teaching position at this center. I hope you can help the parents by giving them more information and more to do. I really love being part of this Mobile Mission Team. None of this could happen without our director Paige Stringer and the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss. Thank you all."

I think I said some thing like that!

Thursday Lunch Sao Mai

Sister Loan and Sister Tram invite me to lunch at their center. This is after I do a professional critique of Sister Loan's video of trying to get a 7 year old to hear with one hearing aid!

As they get on their motor bikes, they say they will call a taxi for me. I say; “Do you have room for me on a bike?" Sure! They thought I was too scared to ride the motorbike, but hey, this is Vietnam! Sister Loan rides with Sister Phuong. Sister Tram hands me a helmet. I climb on behind her. I hold on tight! Now I enter the stream of motorbikes I've been watching for 4 weeks. I am loving it!

We drive about 10 minutes through the chaos of Nha Trang traffic, turn left down a small road, and the left again down a smaller cement road to a dead end she I see a home made into a 'school'; “Sao Mai”.

Vy, the girl from the video greets us with squeals of delight and a big hug for Sister Loan. Mother Superior, Sister Melany Loan, is waiting for us at the gate. She greets me with the warmest smile. I am meeting the “Earth Mother of Vietnam”. I feel enveloped in her love. She thanks me for coming and for teaching the teachers.

She is eager to show me around the school. We climb up three levels of a brand new clean building. Children are everywhere saying; “hello”, “hello”. The students put on a show for me. The teenagers with developmental delay dance to a modern pop rock piece. Their movement to the music and expression through dance is as captivating as any Apsara performance as they incorporate new moves with traditional. Three teenage girls with hearing aids dance to old-style Vietnamese music with grace and feeling. One girl who listens with hearing aids plays the piano. I think of my students, Sophie and Penny who also play the piano – so wonderful.

Lunch is waiting. I listen to them say prayers before we enjoy the beautiful food Sister Melany Loan made for us – great vegetarian dishes! We enjoy honest open conversations as we pass the plates around the table. I feel so ‘taken care of’. I have not felt like that in a few weeks now. I feel like I am ‘at home’ with these women.

Mother Superior sees that I am very tired. She insists that I take the mid day nap. Sister Tram lets me lie down in her room. Her room? It is a classroom during the day. She moves the desks aside and opens out her bed. Her bed is a frame with a straw mat. I see a hammock and think that might be more comfy for this North American, but I think I should at least try the bed. I lie down. Within minutes I am resting deeply, not really asleep, just quiet and “under their spell”. Maybe I rest for 15 minutes. I get up and feel refreshed! Sister Tram arrives and we walk down the stairs past all the sleeping children lying on their mats in their classrooms.

We climb onto the motorbike once again and buzz back for afternoon lectures. I am barely holding on now, as I trust my driver. I feel like I have been in an oasis, a little bit of “Heaven” on this side of the world. I know that I can help Sister Loan teach her students listen and talk. She has such a supportive team at Sao Mai.

Sister Loan says she will try my suggestions in her therapy with Vy and her family. She will make another video and mail it to me in about two months. Sister Phuong, my interpreter, says she will translate my suggestions that I write after Sister Loan sends me that video of her therapy. I can help this teacher from afar. Here is a professional ready to change and develop her skills.

Sister Loan is the one who finds the Vietnamese translation of Brown Bear Brown Bear that I told everyone I knew existed. I know I can help a therapist who has Eric Carl in her library! I am happy about that.