AMPLIFIED: event

Learning Beyond Impossibilities

11:00 AM

Not all heroes wear capes, some wear cochlear implants – and, well, hearing aids. On April 21, 2018, Saturday, the Civil Law Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas became the venue for learning beyond, entitled, “Learning Beyond Impossibilities”.

The event was created by the 4SLP students of the UST SLP Department, Batch 2019. The event aimed to equip its audience with facts and stories about hearing loss and the measures we can take. Posters were put up near the UST Botanical Garden to aid the presentation of awareness towards the Thomasian community.

Starting the afternoon, Santino Palafox shared his experiences on dealing with hearing loss. Palafox was diagnosed to have profound hearing loss and was fitted with hearing aids at 5 months, and then experienced a cochlear implant surgery at 13 months. He said that, “My wish for all hearing loss kids is to have easier access to hearing aids, cochlear implants, and therapy classes.”

Palafox told the audience his journey with hearing loss. “Don’t let anybody tell you [that] you can’t because you can”, he stressed. Palafox has just graduated from Ateneo De Manila GS with Merit awards/Co-curricular awards showing the audience that family support and early intervention can provide a more optimal life for the individual with hearing loss.

Games where presented afterwards: the whisper challenge and the classic “hep-hep hooray” with the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students and the Health Allied Strand students of the Senior High School. Palafox also became one of the participants.

The next speaker was Dr. Benedict Baguyo from the Better Hearing Philippines, Inc. (BHPI). BHPI, formerly called Task Force on the Prevention of Hearing Loss, assists in the prevention of hearing loss, primary health care-based control of hearing impairment, and the community-based improvement in the quality of life for the hearing impaired and their families.

The speaker shared that 28% of Filipinos have hearing impairments with ear wax or impacted cerumen as the most probable cause. He also shared the laws, policies, benefits, and packages that exists for hearing loss. He shared that hearing aids and speech therapy may soon be accessible to all with its inclusion in PhilHealth packages. He shared the ways to advocate for the hearing loss regardless of the age.

Another intermission number was presented, wherein 4SLP students, Junella Mendoza and Ann Abanilla serenaded the audience with their own version of Paramore’s “You are the Only Exception”. They were followed by the performance of Maby Bagalay, Rain Laurel, and Maki Solomon (4SLP) as they sang, “A Million Dreams” from the Greatest Showman soundtrack. The audience sang along with enthusiasm.

The last speaker of the day, Dr. Lloyd Crizaldo, presented the Dos and Don’ts of Listening. He presented the factors that causes the probable hearing losses. “Noise induced hearing loss is preventable,” he reminded. He also shared the ten facts about hearing loss from the World Health Organization (WHO), saying that though all of them are important, the tenth step should never be ignored: Hearing loss is preventable through public health actions.

Crizaldo then emphasized that every single individual from health professionals to manufacturers should act out their role to assist the prevention of hearing loss.

Phyllicia Mercado, the leader of the 4SLP project, presented the closing remarks for “Embracing diversity and overcoming adversity”. She concluded that the program was about finding our roles and finding light to the cause. She shared that through an outcome may seem impossible, to overcome an adversity, the only need is to embrace the diversity. – Madelyn Escario

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SLP Society holds Seminar on Gadget Use and its Effects

7:12 PM

Today, children as young as three years old have been accustomed to using gadgets such as cellphones and tablets. Despite the many precautions on its effect to childhood development, the use of such technology is still on the rise especially in the younger population. Such was the topic of discussion last April 21, as the Speech-Language Pathology Society held a seminar titled, “Strengthening the Future: Raising Awareness on the Effects of Gadgets to our Children.”
The first resource speaker was Ms. Josefina Era who has an on-going dissertation for a Doctorate degree in Philosophy major in Child and Family Studies. She is a licensed professional teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Education majoring in Childhood Education. She described the Digital Generation and how the use of gadgets affects their everyday interactions. She also pointed out the consequences that might arise in all areas of development such as greater risk in eye problems, expressive language and speech delay, and impaired social skills.

“Connect person to person. The one who spends time with me is the one who loves me,” said Era as she explained that the best way to nurture children is to connect with them during the early years of their life. She advised parents to prioritize relationships and to have balance within the household, ending with the message that real relationships cannot be replaced by gadgets and digital media.
The second speaker was UST-SLP alumnus Mr. Ken Dizon. He is the head SLP at Apple Tree Integrated School, a senior consultant, and is part of the group of Starkey Hearing Foundation. He taught parents strategies and techniques to facilitate speech and language by making their homes a language-rich environment. He started with a discussion on how SLPs can train parents to become better teachers at home. He also gave a brief explanation on childhood development in terms of speech and language.

Dizon proceeded to teaching techniques such as using the child’s environment to introduce new concepts as well as having a book to encourage reading and facilitate learning. Citing sources, he also explained that there are both positive and negative effects associated with the use of gadgets. Therefore, these can be used to promote learning and must be regulated to be able to reduce its harmful effects.
The event ended with an open forum where students, teachers, and parents could ask the speakers regarding their concerns. Certificates were then awarded by SLP Society External Vice President, Phyllicia Mercado. - Vianca Ocampo

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All Aboard: A Day of Play Around The World

3:34 PM

Education Playground--- Under the brilliant sun on a Saturday morning, the future Speech Language Pathologists of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences gathered for their yearly Play Day. It was a sunny morning dedicated for the children with a variety of activities prepared by the students. Each batch was asked to come up with a theme—any annual celebration or festival that was celebrated as a tradition in a country.

The freshmen sailed through the south china sea and landed in China—choosing the theme Chinese New Year. Just like the colorful fireworks showcased every Chinese New Year, the activities that the freshmen prepared were all about the such. The children were all given printed sheets and a variety of crayons for them to color and delve into their artistic side.

On the other hand, the third-year students decided to showcase one of our country’s many traditions—the Imabayah Festival, celebrated by those who live in the Banawe Rice Terraces. The class prepared two activities for the children and divided themselves into two groups to manage the manpower. The activity of the first group was also about arts & crafts—specifically headdress making. Materials such as feathers, stitches, and coloring materials were given to the children for them to create their own headdress. For the second group, their activity was more active and required the children to do actions. It included two roulettes, one with action words that the child needs to follow before moving onto the next roulette—which contains the description of the object that the child will use to break the cups that are standing.

Last but definitely not the least, the fourth-year students chose a traditional Mexican Holiday—the Day of the Dead, celebrated to pray and remember friends and relatives who have passed away. As dark as it may seem, the festival actually makes use of colorful skeleton masks or face paint and flowers—which were evident in the class’ booth. Three activities were prepared: shooting balls and making it land on hats that had prizes in them; mask making; and pin the tail. As unique as it sounds, pin the tail is an activity with animals pinned on a board, the children blindfolded and the tasked to pin the tail on each animal.

Different themes with different activities-- yet there was a still a sense of unity among the batches. It was not only a day dedicated to children, it was a day for the students as well. Being able to interact with the children, mingling with them and socializing with other batches were also one of the many highlights in the event. Hearing the children laugh, squealing and seeing them run around and mingle with one another gives a sense of peace into each student’s heart.

SLP Laboratory--- While the kids were playing with the students, their parents were invited to a seminar held by the program’s very own Mara Jo Bondoc where she facilitated a discussion on parent education and the importance of home activities. The parents also got a chance to share their own ways of teaching their kids through play and everyday activities.

AMV Multi-Purpose Hall---After spending the day with the kids, the students were invited to a seminar that showcased different guests that overcame their disabilities and succeeded in achieving their dreams.

One guest was Karl Paolo Pingol who was the leading man of the movie Star na si Van Damme Stallone. His family also shared with the audience the importance of having a good support system.

Another star, Thara Marie Santiago, serenaded the audience with different songs such as The Climb despite having autism spectrum disorder. Her mother, Geeta Santiago, shared the hardships their family endured throughout their journey of taking care of Thara. However, she expressed how proud she is now with all the success Thara has achieved and the happiness that she brings to all of their hearts.

Another brave soul, Brian Julain Borlea, shared how he is able to work amidst the battle with autism spectrum disorder. One line from Brian that stuck with the audience was “I’m not normal, I’m special. But I’m as normal as special people go.”

Check out more photos below!

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SLP Opening GA

1:00 PM

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SLP Day: Making friends with SLPs

6:23 PM

by Madelyn Cecilia Escario

TAN YAN KEE STUDENT CENTER PARKING LOT, MARCH 19, 2016 – The future Speech-Language Pathologists from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences of the University of Santo Tomas held its annual ‘SLP Day’ with a morning dedicated to the children. There were a variety of booths that were made by the different batches of the SLP community inside the college. Along with the play day held at Tan Yan Kee parking lot, a seminar for the parents was held at the Speech-Language Pathology Laboratory. The topic for the seminar was about making the everyday activities of the children meaningful to them. Moreover, the partner community was able to have a grand time with the people who were assigned with different aspects throughout the event.

The freshmen made a hospital-themed and market-themed booth wherein the former stall made an environment for the children to imagine themselves as doctors with the stuffed toys that were provided. The designed market stall that was also made by batch 2020 was included with the idea that the people can either be one of the customers or be an owner of the market filled with the food shaped toys.

The sophomores were able to make life-sized furniture and machines that were both used for play. In the laundry designed area, the children had fun in making bubbles and following the step-by-step process like washing the clothes, ironing them, and even folding some of the shirts and shorts provided. The bath of 2019 also gave a restaurant that was also a hit to some of the kids. From cutting the food to cooking them inside the oven; the children were able to enjoy and experience a unique moment.

The third-years, meanwhile, provided a space for the children with different ages and personalities to enjoy the quiet and meaningful makeshift library with the small books that were used for reading. Furthermore, the third-years created a mini golf course that was also flocked by the majority of the young boys and girls. The course was constructed with a design that was child-friendly and entertaining with animals as the models.

The SLP students who are now in their fiurth year and internship period were the people who took care of the children hands-on. They were the ones who showed proper ways of handling a child who wanted to play and even those were also in the midst of a small tantrum. It was indeed unforgettable. It was a small sneak peek on the days to come as a future SLP in the country and in the future generation.

In every SLP Day that has happened, it has continuously been proven that with an SLP, every child will always have a friend.