The world of Tzu Chi January 2021 (Vol.130)

2021 • 01 56 umanistic Medicine Translated by Lee Hui Yieng Overcoming Language Barriers H uman beings possess an innate ability to communicate using language. Communication fulfils our basic needs and enhances our social interaction. Acquiring knowledge too requires basic communication skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. I am a speech-language therapist working at a private hospital. Sometimes, I do house calls and treat patients at their homes. We provide services to children and adults with communication and speech problems, such as articulation problems, vocal dysfunction and dysphagia. We also help patients with Down Syndrome, autism, cleft lip, deafness, cerebral palsy, stroke, prematurity, brain damage and so on. Our services include assessment, diagnosis and therapy. I rely on behavioural observation and perform detailed evaluation on patients with the help of appropriate assessment tools. Therapy goals are set before treatment begins. Witnessing children with speech delays progress from being completely uncommunicative to expressing their daily needs in single words or simple sentences is a joy to behold and a moment that every parent yearns for. Whenever parents ask me about their children’s condition, I am more than happy to help clarify their doubts in hopes that they can put their knowledge into practice. Only through constant communication and parents’ active participation can the children grow and Respect begets genuine friendship. Through sympathetic awareness, misunderstandings are avoided. With a big heart, we are able to accept others as they are. transform. Training is also given to parents to help improve the children’s language and communication skills. Maintaining a good relationship between therapist and parents is thus paramount to effective learning. Empathic listening A mother came to me with her autistic daughter. Her husband was away for work most of the time and she had to bring her whole family to her daughter’s therapy session every week as there was no one at home to take care of her children. She had seven children studying close to home or outstation. Her mother-in-law was unwell and the other children were too young to be left unsupervised. She had sought various treatments in the past for her autistic daughter and was unfortunately swindled by con artists. Even now, she weeps talking about her daughter’s plight. As a speech-language therapist, the only thing I could do was to listen to her joys and sorrows. Active listening is perhaps the best form of healing for her. She let on that I was her daughter’s third speech-language therapist. The first two therapists did not produce much result and were uninterested in her views and suggestions. Their relationships were not a happy one. Tzu Chi advocates humanistic medicine, treating the body, mind and spirit. This has taught me how to show concern and listen to the parents of my patients, giving them a sense of comfort. I joined Tzu Chi in 2002. Through