Pediatric Hospital #1 in HCMC is the largest of 3 pediatric hospitals. They are a destination for kids and families throughout the entire country for diagnosis, treatment, and surgeries. They are a teaching hospital for clinicians from universities and other hospitals and clinics across the country.
The hospital site is huge, with 3 more buildings in the planning stages for this year. |
Inside the hospital grounds-- lots of outdoor waiting areas and places to buy food and medicine (families are usually responsible for purchasing all supplies for the child's hospital stay). |
Play areas on the hospital grounds |
Heading to the physiotherapy-rehabilitation department! |
A mini shuttle bus travels between buildings |
Hưng, physical therapist, grabbing my backpack to hustle me into the rehab department. |
It's been interesting to track how the hospitals in the two different parts of southern Vietnam continue to grow and change. Where the emphasis in Can Tho was refining their diagnostic frameworks and processes for developmental challenges, the focus of my time in Ho Chi Minh City was on "We know how to diagnose. How do we treat?"
Many of the clinicians in HCMC have completed certifications and Master's degree coursework in speech and language therapy through a collaboration between the largest medical school in Vietnam and an Australian non-profit organization. These clinicians are now training other clinicians in smaller provinces throughout the country. Their professional knowledge continues to grow, and they are so committed to providing this much-needed service.
This year, I was asked to lecture on AAC use for autistic children, Evaluating social communication for young autistic children, and Therapy for social communication for young autistic children. I was joined by the hospital speech therapy clinicians, pediatricians, and speech therapists in training from the medical school for my 3 action-packed days.
Discussion about how to provide opportunities for a child to practice using AAC to say "eat." |
I got fantastic advice from my sister, who conducts a lot of workshops and trainings internationally, to provide a small gift to everyone to commemorate our work together. I gave everyone an "infinity" pin, which is often used as a marker for "autism acceptance" and "autism rights." As a group, we had great discussions about how the clinical conversation can move from pathologizing developmental differences to advocating for and developing necessary supports. Thanks to Karen and Robert for nudging me to buy these pins, they were a big hit! |
Mr. Giao and Ms. Tam have guided and supported me across a lot of my visits to HCMC. We had a terrific dinner together after my last day of lecturing where they shared their big picture vision for clinical training opportunities over the next 5 years. Can't wait!
In the HCMC airport. I will advocate for both "Kiddy delights" and "Sleep boxes" as universal airport features! |
And with that final food photo, I'll close out the blog for this trip. Thanks again to all of you for your interest, encouragement, and support! Please let me know what questions you might have, I'm always happy to talk more about this trip :) !