Speech therapy for children with autism and cerebral palsy

For the past 4 years, from the dry season to the rainy season, every day Ms. NTT (residing in Phu Hoa 1 commune) has taken her son to Dak Lak Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital - formerly Phu Yen Rehabilitation Hospital - for speech therapy. Her son is slow to develop and still cannot speak at the age of 3. After traveling dozens of kilometers to take her son for treatment for a long time, Ms. T. was overjoyed to see her son's progress. "Now he not only knows how to speak but also knows letters and his own name," the mother shared, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Ms. T. is one of the mothers and fathers who put aside their work, did not mind the long distance, and took their children for treatment with the desire that their children would be like other children. Their children - some have developmental delays, some have autism, some have cerebral palsy. Their spiritual support is the Dak Lak Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital.

Technician interacts with a baby who is slow to speak and walk.

In 2018, after sending medical staff to be trained in speech therapy at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, and preparing facilities, this specialized hospital received the technology transferred by Hanoi Medical University Hospital and put the Speech Therapy Unit into operation. At that time, this was the only medical facility in the South Central region with a Speech Therapy Unit, conducting intervention and treatment for children with developmental delays, autism, and cerebral palsy using a method developed based on evidence-based medicine and recognized internationally. With the therapies: Language intervention, articulation therapy, swallowing therapy, speech therapy contributed to significantly improving the quality of life of children with difficulties in speech, communication, language, play, listening - speaking and patients with chewing and swallowing disorders. In particular, for children, a study showed that: 70% of children under 6 years old with language problems had significant progress after receiving intervention with speech therapy.

According to Dr. Dang Hoang Huong Thuy, Deputy Director of Dak Lak Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital, the Speech Therapy Unit currently has 14 doctors and technicians. The unit provides communication training for children with autism and cerebral palsy; corrects pronunciation errors for children with lisping and stuttering. A technician intervenes for a patient within a certain period of time. If the child cannot pronounce, the technician applies lip and mouth exercises to help the child move his or her lips and mouth, stimulating pronunciation. Autistic children have poor social interaction, poor communication, abnormal behavior, and hyperactivity. In addition, children often have sensory disorders. After assessment and consultation, the doctor will intervene with language therapy in parallel with exercises on body perception to achieve higher efficiency. For children with cerebral palsy, in addition to language intervention, the technician also practices movement. “Intervention and treatment are individualized for each patient, using both intervention and games to help children develop skills,” said Dr. Huong Thuy.

The time for intervention and treatment for children with autism and cerebral palsy must be calculated in years. Technician Nguyen Thi Bich Phuong, who has been with the Speech Therapy Unit for 5 years, shared: “From the beginning of intervention until the child makes progress, it takes more than 1 year. The technician is persistent, the family must also be persistent. We have a separate approach for each patient. Each child practices in a different way, depending on the child's preferences”. Technician Truong Thi Tieu Loan, who has worked at the unit for 3 years, said: “The hardest part is the beginning; the child is not used to you, is not cooperative, often cries, even throws tantrums. The technician must play with the child regularly, let the child get used to you. Play while practicing. You have to love the job, love children to do this job”.

All the efforts and perseverance will be rewarded with the progress of the patient. After more than 2 years of intervention, a slow-developing boy in Tuy Hoa ward can speak, read and write. A child in Tuy An Nam, after several years of intervention, can recognize colors, numbers and write his name. And there are many other cases that doctors and technicians cannot remember, but they still remember the joy when the patient made remarkable progress after a long journey.

In addition to intervention and treatment for children with developmental delays, autism, and cerebral palsy, the Speech Therapy Unit also provides speech rehabilitation for patients with aphasia due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumors; and rehabilitation for patients with swallowing disorders due to brain damage.

In the coming time, Dak Lak Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital will focus on further developing rehabilitation, continuing to send medical staff for training to develop the Speech Therapy Unit, meeting the needs of the people.

According to statistics from Dak Lak Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital, in 2024, the hospital performed more than 23,900 interventions and treatments using speech therapy, including more than 19,500 communication sessions for children with autism and cerebral palsy, 69 pronunciation correction sessions, more than 3,000 rehabilitation sessions for aphasic patients, and 105 rehabilitation sessions for swallowing disorders. In the first 6 months of 2025, the hospital performed more than 14,600 interventions and treatments using speech therapy, including nearly 12,200 communication sessions for children with autism and cerebral palsy.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202508/lieu-phap-ngon-ngu-cho-tre-tu-ky-bai-nao-f071a6c/