Alumna Rhoda Chiu has worked as a children’s speech therapist at a clinic under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals to provide individualised services since graduating from the Master of Science in Educational Speech-Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities programme in 2018.

“When I meet people and tell them I’m a speech therapist, they often say things like ‘Oh, I’d better be careful with my pronunciation. But speech therapists don’t just observe a person’s pronunciation or articulation; we take into account a person’s swallowing ability and their ability to communicate throughout their lifespan,” she said.

“Communication can be affected by wide range of factors. Besides anatomical and physiological structure, a speech therapist must look into pathological, social, psychological and personal factors to provide an accurate assessment and treatment for the patient,” Chiu added.

The Master’s programme offered by The Education University of Hong Kong trains clinical professionals to take care of a wide spectrum of patients. Chiu said the one-year intensive practice and training was a real eye-opening opportunity for her.