National Taiwan University Hsin-Chu Hospital
Last Update:2024-07-02
NTUH Hsin-Chu Branch Center for International Health recently celebrated a heartwarming success story that highlights the transformative power of specialized medical care. Adam, a 10-year-old French boy, overcame significant speech challenges through the dedicated efforts of the International Outpatient Clinic's medical professionals.
Adam, a lively yet somewhat shy boy, belongs to a multinational family. His father is French, and his mother is Brazilian, and the family frequently relocates due to his father's job. Currently residing in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Adam is fluent in French, Portuguese, and English. However, in late 2023, Adam’s parents noticed that he had difficulty correctly pronouncing sounds like "sh", "z", and "s". This issue affected his interactions with schoolmates, causing distress for Adam, who needs peer companionship during this crucial stage of his development.
Finding the Right Help
After thorough research, Adam's parents discovered the NTUH Hsin-Chu Branch Center for International Health. We arranged for Adam to be seen by Dr. Shu-Mei Yang from the Rehabilitation Department and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Hui-An Huang through the International Outpatient Clinic. The clinic is renowned for its dedicated nursing staff who accompany international patients, reducing language barriers and ensuring a smooth and reassuring experience from appointment scheduling, consultations, tests, and medication pickup to follow-up care.
Expert Care and Personalized Treatment
In the special consultation room, Dr. Shu-Mei Yang assessed Adam’s English speaking ability through conversations and picture descriptions, diagnosing him with articulation disorder. Given Adam's age, immediate speech therapy was arranged. Speech therapy sessions were conducted weekly with SLP. Huang, who holds a B.A. of foreign languages and literatures and a M.S. of Speech language pathology. SLP. Huang invited Adam’s parents to join the sessions, believing that speech therapy extends beyond the hospital and should continue at home in daily life. She meticulously analyzed each of Adam’s pronunciation issues and their causes, enabling his parents to provide consistent reminders and corrections at home.
Adapting to Festivities and Daily Life in therapy
Additionally, the therapy adapted to time and festivities. During Christmas, Adam learned the song "Jingle Bells" in class, practicing sentence connections through singing, which made the lesson enjoyable and enriching. After the class, Adam wrote a Christmas card for SLP. Huang, creating a wonderful holiday memory.
Remarkable Progress
After five months of intensive therapy, Adam’s father noticed significant improvement. At the end of the school term, he wrote to the clinic to express his gratitude, stating that Adam's teachers unanimously acknowledged the effectiveness of the therapy and mentioned Adam’s progress in class. Encouraged by his father, Adam set a goal to score 80% on a follow-up test. Upon successfully completing the speech therapy, SLP. Huang created a special English certificate for Adam, bringing tears to the normally shy boy’s eyes. He gave SLP. Huang a hug, expressing his gratitude.
Long-Term Success
Three months after the therapy concluded, Adam returned to the International Outpatient Clinic for a follow-up on his pronunciation. Dr. Shu-Mei Yang and SLP. Huang evaluated him, finding that Adam not only maintained his corrected pronunciation but also made further improvements. The treatment was deemed complete, and no further visits were necessary. The once-shy Adam happily took a photo with the doctor and speech therapist, stepping out of the clinic ready to embrace a more confident life.
A Beacon of Hope
“Our International Outpatient Clinic at NTUH Hsin-Chu Branch covers all specialties and is dedicated to providing top-notch care for international patients,” said Dr. Sung Hsi, Huang, the Head of Center for International Health. “Stories like Adam’s inspire us to continue our mission of delivering compassionate and effective healthcare services.”
For more information about the services offered at NTUH Hsin-Chu Branch Center for International Health, please contact us at CIH@hch.gov.tw or +886-3-5326151 ext:526780-526781.