(Q): Question
(A): Answer
A : I had chosen my undergraduate program through a system called JUPAS at high school, I had considered different programs like Medicine, Nursing and Dietetics. Then I met a senior girl from my secondary school who was studying speech therapy at university; she discussed the different undergraduate programs with me. After attending information sessions at the universities, I found speech therapy quite interesting because one could actually teach and communicate with children through different media.
As a choir member, I had also participated in choral and speech competitions. My interests and experiences made me believe that studying speech therapy would be suitable for me. The studies have, indeed, broadened my horizons and equipped me to help different people. I found it very rewarding that the studies, and now my career, have provided a lot of opportunities for interaction with others.
A : I took a part-time Masters degree after my graduation. Meanwhile, I served as a speech therapist at the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong. I had worked for/in seven public hospitals for three years where I learnt a lot and met a lot of people. I also worked at the university as a tutor and at the Education Bureau as a consultant. These experiences made me realize that I liked clinical work more. Since my M. Phil project was quite big, I turned it into a PhD project upon my supervisor’s suggestion. After obtaining my PhD degree, I decided to set up a Therapy Centre in 2006. The majority of my employees are students that I have taught before.
Throughout the years, I have diagnosed and helped patients of different age groups, ranging from infants to the elderly, cope with speech and swallowing problems. While I enjoy helping different patients, I find helping those who have autistic features, either by leading them out of their own world of darkness or trying to help their families get into their world, the most gratifying.
Apart from diagnosing patients at the Centre, I also play the role of a supervisor since some of my colleagues are less experienced. I have meetings and sharing sessions with them. Sometimes, I also coordinate and organize the administrative work and schedules. At present, I focus on the supervision part and the therapy sessions with patients.
A : I am very fortunate. Since my children are quite “cooperative” and obedient, I do not need too much time to discipline them; still, staying and playing with them takes up a lot of my time, so I mostly work in the mornings and go home to be with them in the afternoons. As far as possible, I spend most of the weekends with my children. I spend time with my dog after my two children go to bed. I would say I lead quite a fruitful life.
A : To me, both speech and music act as a means of communication. In one of the cases I have dealt with, a child was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. After receiving therapy for half a year, he still could not speak, but I noticed that he was born with a very strong musical sense. He could memorize a whole piece of music after listening to it. In one of the treatment sessions, he sang a song he had learnt from an advertisement on TV, I could see his urge to communicate with me through music; therefore, I sang along with him, and that was how our communication started.
We found a way to communicate through different music. Later on, the child could follow different sounds and could finally be able and was willing to talk. He is nine now and can communicate with other children effortlessly. Speech and music are similar in a way that both of them can enhance communication between people.
A : Seeing this group of youngsters putting so much effort in holding concerts to help the needy and, at the same time, doing what they enjoy is indeed touching. Their hard work is applaudable. It is not easy as each one has his or her own tasks to accomplish and goals to fulfill. I hope that Festive Chamber will continue to use different music and voices to influence and help the people around us!
