The Hanoi National Pediatric Hospital invited the Global Foundation to launch a training course at their hospital to help their doctors and technicians further skills to support their pediatric audiology program. This was our first Mobile Mission workshop here as part of this new effort. Jane Madell and Joan Hewitt provided instruction on pediatric testing protocols, speech perception testing, and cochlear implant mapping. Several children were brought in to provide a practical learning experience in the audiology booth and cochlear implant mapping room.
Jay Rubinstein lectured to the doctors about cochlear implant surgical procedures and complex cases. He operated alongside the Vietnamese surgeons in providing a young child with a cochlear implant. It was a solid first training course and we look forward to continuing our program there in the future.
Meanwhile, across town, our auditory-verbal therapy training program continued in its second year with a select group of therapists at Hanoi National University of Education. Erin Thompson and Sherri Vernelson continued the Global Foundation curriculum with a focus on developing speech goals and strategies. Vietnamese therapists led sessions with children under 6 years of age and their parents each morning. During these sessions, Erin and Sherri provided coaching support. Feedback sessions were provided later in the day as well as time for planning activities for the following day’s therapy sessions.
Wednesday night, we conducted a program for families in the evening. About 50 parents and caregivers attended. They learned about strategies that they could use at home to help their children with hearing loss learn to develop listening and spoken language. The session ran late into the evening but the families remained rapt in attention, just absorbing as much information as they could. It was a powerful evening of deep emotion and cautious optimism.