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

TZU CHI 130 57 serving others and being steeped in Tzu Chi’s humanistic culture, I learnt to develop pleasant manners and speech, respect my patients and be understanding and accepting towards every parent who brings their child to me. Respect begets genuine friendship. Through sympathetic awareness, misunderstandings are avoided. With a big heart, we are able to accept others as they are. Amother’s resilience All my patients and their parents are my teachers. Being faced with different clinical problems motivates me to constantly seek the most effective treatment plan for each child and their parents. I believe that with constant encouragement and loving speech, parents will have the confidence in their own ability to enhance their children’s language and communication skills. One of my patients has severe autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His inability to speak and tendency to be aggressive caused great distress to his family. I was impressed by how accepting and loving they were to the child. After a period of treatment, his condition stabilized and he was able to imitate simple words. His mother told me happily that she once felt dejected and disappointed when the doctor pronounced that her son would be unable to speak forever. She saw a ray of hope when the child started to speak. I told her, “Every child has the innate ability to imitate speech and to communicate. As long as we find the right way and practise it without giving up, we will see progress eventually.” Besides that, I also had discussions with the child’s tutor to identify better ways to improve the child’s learning and communication. As a Tzu Chi volunteer, I participate in charity home visits. I know of a single mother and her two autistic children who were Tzu Chi’s care recipients for five years since 2015. Despite the different stresses in life, she took care of her children without the slightest thought of giving up. This has taught me to count my blessings. Whenever I meet with difficulties, I look to her as my inspiration to be contented and grateful for life’s adversities because they help me grow stronger. A therapist is just passing through a child’s life. The truth is, parents are their first and enduring educator. Tan Chuan Xiong • Speech-language therapist • Member of Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) • Hua Ming Autism Society (Selangor & KL) speech-language therapy consultant