SINGAPORE: Car rides in the Lee family used to be silent affairs, a stark contrast to the lively chatter typical in many households. Abner Lee could only manage single words at four, lagging behind his peers already stringing together sentences.
Fast forward two years and the now six-year-old Abner has made remarkable progress, often surprising his parents with spontaneous sentences that he hadn’t been explicitly taught.
This transformation is due to a unique collaboration between Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). The pilot project, launched in June 2023 at the THK Children Therapy Centre in MacPherson, pairs student therapists with children like Abner, offering speech and language therapy at a fraction of the cost of qualified therapists.
Student-Run Speech Therapy Clinic
The student clinic, which has already helped 44 children, is set to expand its services to Queenstown by the end of 2024, aiming to train at least 12 SIT students yearly. The expansion will also include students from the National University of Singapore’s Master of Science (Speech and Language Pathology) program.
Group language programs are on the horizon, promising to increase the number of children receiving therapy by up to 50 percent. These programs will allow children to be seen within two weeks of registration, addressing the growing demand for speech and language therapy services.
Despite the clinic’s focus on less complex cases, children with higher needs are promptly referred to qualified therapists at THKMC’s regular clinics. The supervision model ensures that student therapists are closely monitored by qualified therapists, transitioning to remote supervision only when they’ve gained sufficient confidence.
Mrs Lee was initially apprehensive about entrusting Abner’s therapy to students. However, the affordable cost and the reassurance of having registered therapists overseeing the sessions convinced her. Despite the long commute to the MacPherson clinic, she plans to continue Abner’s therapy there due to his noticeable progress.
One of the student therapists, Ms Carine Yap, found the experience so fulfilling that she’s joining the clinic full-time. She helped over 10 children during her placement, setting therapy targets tailored to their developmental needs and hobbies. The supportive environment, with experienced therapists ready to step in, eased any doubts parents might have had about student therapists.
Quality care given, clinical experience gained
Associate Professor Valerie Lim, program leader of speech and language therapy at SIT, emphasized the program’s dual benefit: providing timely, quality care to children while giving students invaluable clinical experience. “Our students not only gain confidence in their clinical skills but also learn important skills such as professionalism and lifelong learning,” Prof Lim said.
This innovative partnership between THKMC and SIT is not just changing the landscape of speech and language therapy in Singapore; it’s transforming lives, one sentence at a time.