Testimonials
"Learning to eat like other kids"
My family was introduced to DR Radika’s service in Mar 2008 as my daughter was not receptive to normal food. During then, she was initially diagnosed to have sensitive taste bud & her gum/teeth was pretty weak. On the first meet-up with DR Radika, we were not really optimistic in seeing significant result within the first year. To us, as long as there is any improvement, we are already contented. During the initial few meetings, DR Radika exudes her cheerful outlook and is able to relate to my daughter. Gradually, she built up the trust with my daughter and my daughter in turn began to open up and grew to be comfortable in DR Radika’s presence. Throughout the therapy, DR Radika really showed her patience & provided the necessary encouragement towards my daughter. Apart from the therapy, she also introduced various tools/aids e.g. food story, gum exercises etc to guide us to train her at home. In fact, these techniques were really useful and we started to see vast improvements in her progress during the one year plus of therapy. From someone whom only eats home-cooked soft-food like porridge and not use to biting and chewing, to eating common children indulgence like chicken rice, buns, cakes and ice-cream, we are indeed grateful towards DR Radika’s professionalism and her great patience. Thanks again to DR Radika and would sincerely recommend her to those who require her service.
Testimonial write up by parent of a 6 year old child with sensory based feeding dificulties.
"A nodule in my voice and going through Voice Therapy"
I was diagnosed with Voice nodules and was advised to undertake Speech therapy. I was referred to Dr Radika Vasudeva by the ENT specialist who was treating me. I was learning vocal singing and because of the Voice nodules I was unable to continue with singing. Having learnt music herself, she understood my difficulty and advised me on different aspects of voice modulation and taught me various exercises which helped me recover rapidly.
She taught me the nuances of appropriate usage of my voice while singing, which prevented the aggravation of my voice nodules. She was very pleasant and friendly and was easily approachable. I gained in confidence as my speech therapy sessions progressed. To prevent recurrence, she taught me the Do’s and Don’t’s while singing to ensure that there was minimal stress on my Vocal chords. When I was diagnosed with Voice nodules, I feared that I would have to give up singing forever, but she re-assured me that by taking a short break from singing and with a combination of speech exercises, diet and a slightly altered lifestyle, I could get back to music which was my passion.
The ENT specialist who was treating me was pleasantly surprised at my rapid recovery. After taking a break of 6 months, I was able to re-start singing. I am sincerely thankful to Dr.Radika for helping me to recover rapidly and re-commence my singing lessons. I would recommend Dr Radika without any second thoughts to anyone who is advised to undergo speech therapy.
Testimonial write up by SV, young adult with a vocal nodule.
"My experience in voice therapy"
I entered the 4-week LSVT course because of a vocal cord disorder, in the hope that the course would improve the mobility of the vocal cords, and thus speak more loudly and clearly. Before the course, I was unable to speak loudly or shout.
At the beginning, the exercises I had to do seemed really unnatural. In my mind, things like loud “ah”s were unusual practices. Hence I was quite apprehensive in the initial sessions.
As I progressed through the first few sessions, the feelings of self-conciousness gradually diminished. Learning and understanding the rationale behind each exercise helped. Ultimately, the exercises themselves became part of a daily routine, and I grew more comfortable with them.
There was marked improvement in the first 2 weeks, as my vocal cords “awakened” and strengthened due to proper, regular usage. This was important, as for the weeks prior to the course, I hadn’t put in much energy into speaking.
On the whole, the programme has benefited me. Although it hasn’t induced a full recovery,
the exercises in the programme has made me more aware of my speaking techniques, and helped me to control my voice better. As a result, I am more confident of speaking, and can be heard better.
Testimonial write up by GW, 18 years – a teen with a voice problem writes about his experience with Voice therapy.
"A Note From Mr. Vijay Santhanam"
I suffered a massive stroke in 2006 and as a result my left-brain was affected. My language skills were among the most badly affected abilities. Although Tamil is my mother language, I decided to focus on relearning English first. I was 41 at that time. I took a variety of intense therapies (Speech, Physical and Occupational) for a few months. Thanks to that I could talk (in English) and walk. I returned to work four months after my stroke. Though I knew that I needed to relearn a lot more (including my own mother tongue), I could not pursue much (except walking and yoga) due to time constraints.
Three years post my stroke, I approached Radika in June 2009 for Tamil Speech therapy. In our first meeting, rather than diving straight to Tamil therapy, she asked about my stroke and my recovery so far, so she could understand better my current status and what help she could offer. Thanks to this open discussion, Radika told me that she could help me on both English and Tamil (in different levels of skill) and facial muscles – the facial muscles on my right face had been affected and as a result, my facial expression and smile were not symmetrical. One thing that impressed me is her direct, honest and realistic assessment. She didn’t promise a full recovery or a very speedy recovery. She told me that it would take time and that the recovery is likely to be partial etc.
Nine months later, with three therapy sessions per week, I can see visible and distinct improvements in all three aspects. In English my speech is a lot better with fewer co-articulatory errors and I no longer have problems with voicing and devoicing of sounds. I am able to initiate and maintain a simple conversation in Tamil. I am still continuing with therapy to further improve my communication skills especially in Tamil. My facial muscles have shown signs of strengthening and there is increased movement on the right side of the face with lesser asymmetry when I speak or smile.
I want to add an important point here. When we have a disability (either congenital or due to a brain damage), most of us put the onus of the recovery on God, the doctor and the therapists. But I believed that at least half the responsibility of the recovery rests on me. Faith and positive attitude, patience and perseverance are paramount!
Testimonial write up by VIJAY SANTHANAM, 45 yrs, writes about Speech Language Thepary following stroke.
