The Ohana team is made up of experienced and passionate therapists who truly care about our clients. We are all licensed professionals with our respective governing bodies and collectively, we have more than 30 years of experience in the allied health field; both overseas and in Singapore. We can’t wait to walk alongside you on your journey to a fulfilling life!
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Hello! I am Xiao Hui, a speech-language therapist and a mother of two little girls! I graduated from the BSc Speech Sciences (Honours) programme at University College London in 2015 with a First Class Honours, then spent 6.5 years working at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore. I specialise in early and school-age language, speech difficulties, dysphagia (swallowing problems), and picky eating. I am a certified clinical supervisor in the above specialities, with experience in clinical education, and have worked in both inpatient (multidisciplinary neuro-rehabilitation) and outpatient settings.
Beyond the clinical environment, I wanted to experience providing intervention in the child’s natural environment (such as schools) and explore a higher therapy frequency (weekly instead of monthly), so I transitioned out of the hospital in 2022 to work in an Early Intervention setting. As part of the enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers (PPIP) programme, I assessed and provided intervention for children under 7 years old with autism, global developmental delay, childhood apraxia of speech, etc. This also gave me opportunities to work directly with teachers and early interventionists in preschools.
I actively innovate in therapy choices to improve engagement for wider learning objectives. Being an avid pianist who enjoys music, I often incorporate music into therapy, which is always a big hit with the little ones! One of my career highlights was working with a music therapist on a speech and music collaboration program, which benefitted children who had longer-term hospital stays due to medical reasons. With my own children, I recently started to learn more about open-ended play and have been experimenting with this concept in therapy too.
I strongly believe that a caregiver’s involvement, whether as a parent or otherwise, is key to a child reaching their utmost potential. As a speech therapist, I advocate strongly for empowering caregivers with the knowledge and skills to grow their child’s communication and feeding potential. Supporting a child’s communication is close to my heart because I believe it is the key to starting and building their relationships with their caregivers and loved ones.
As a mother, I also highly value my feeding work as a clinician because I am fully aware of the anxieties families face and the impact of mealtime struggles on the parent-child relationship.
Journeying with these families has been rewarding for me, and I hope to support you and your family to the best of my abilities!
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Heya, I’m Deborah! I’m a Speech Language Therapist from Singapore. I received my undergraduate training in Perth, Western Australia and further grew my experience working in both paediatric and adult care settings since moving back home. I feel immensely grateful and humbled for the role I play in helping my clients regain autonomy and quality of life through their communication skills. My interest in the field sparked when I first saw the potential of how Speech Therapy could give a voice to autistic students and enable stroke patients to eat and drink independently again.
In the last few years, I especially enjoy working with little ones and their families. I believe in early intervention through providing the right level of support for a child’s needs that will get them ready to thrive in their future academic years ahead. Taking into consideration a child’s ability to learn – be it through child-led or structured play, I support children through one on one intervention as well as group therapy sessions for a range of speech, language and communication difficulties. These include speech sound disorders, language delays and disorders as well as developmental difficulties like ASD, ADHD, GDD. I am currently gaining proficiency in the area of feeding therapy too, which includes fussy and picky eaters. Caregiver training is equally important as a form of indirect therapy, and I love for parents to sit in sessions to learn strategies that can work well in the home environment as well. I take an individualised approach when it comes to assessment and intervention planning, with an emphasis to empower caregivers to gain confidence in their role as their child’s first teacher and expert!
For my adult clients, I generally provide therapy for the intellectually disabled and geriatric population in rehab and maintenance therapy for aphasia, apraxia of speech and cognitive communication challenges. This includes developing communication aids for them to better converse and engage in conversation with others. I am proficient in English and Mandarin, and am confident in supporting families with bilingual backgrounds.
No man is an island, and I strongly believe in the power of collaboration through peer learning and support, as well as growing my knowledge from other healthcare professionals on the best practices for our clients. Client centred care is fundamental to my ethic as a therapist and I hope to journey well with you!
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Hi! I’m Neeta! Well into my 11th year working as a Speech Language Therapist in Perth and now Singapore, my experience covers a wide range of speech and language disorders, with children ranging from 2 years to young adults of up to 18 years of age.
Over the years, I have accumulated specialised training in Motor Speech Disorders, Speech Sound Disorders and Natural Language Acquisition and I now work mainly with families of children who have not found their voice. I advocate for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and endeavour to empower children and their families with effective communication skills that goes beyond speech production. In addition, being sensory-trained allows me to better identify the child’s sensory needs and provide strategies to achieve and maintain optimal regulation during sessions.
For 5 years, I ran social groups for preschoolers and primary-age children. My special interest in supporting children’s pragmatic skills have led me to keep up with the changing times, to be mindful of neurodiversity and the changes that this entails for the content in social groups.
I strive to educate and provide neurodiversity affirming services. This includes using a strength-based approach, presuming competence, respecting bodily autonomy, taking into consideration the sensory needs and preferences of the child and building trusting relationships with the child, family and other professionals.
Every child is different, so is every family dynamic. I would love to share my knowledge and work together in a partnership to support you in finding the most effective approach for your child (and it may be a combination of approaches – evidence-based of course!)
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Hello! I’m Rebecca, and I have been a speech therapist in Singapore since graduating from the University of Sydney. I have worked in a variety of settings with both adults and children, including hospitals, clinics, and home-based care. My paediatric practice specialises in children with autism and late talkers. I enjoy discovering how their brains work, what they like, and what motivates them to communicate.
I am also a mother to a feisty and strong-willed toddler. Experiencing the parental load myself has made me a better therapist, because I became more patient and empathetic with the families I work with. It has also given me new ideas on how to better integrate therapies into existing home routines. We adopt respectful parenting at home, which I carry over to my clinical practice as well. I prefer to focus on working with the child (be it mine or yours), understanding and putting their needs first, rather than simply doing things to them or having them complete activities.
My experience in a public hospital here was focused on adult clients, where I developed a particular interest in speech and swallowing disorders associated with acquired neurological impairment and progressive neurological diseases. My clients had swallowing and communication difficulties of various etiologies, and I worked with them in inpatient acute, as well as inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings.
I strive to build relationships with my clients and families and to give them a safe space to share what they know with me. The best outcomes are achievable only when parents and families share what they know, and take the extra effort to learn and know even more. I focus on person-centred practice, and working collaboratively with clients and their families to achieve positive outcomes. Rather than focusing on the impairment, I firmly believe in meaningful outcomes, and engagement and sustainability in setting goals and selecting activities. I enjoy working together with other professionals to bring about the best outcomes for my patient.
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Hi everyone, I’m Wanda! I’m a Speech-Language Therapist from Jakarta (Indonesia), who now calls Singapore home. In the past few decades, I’ve had the opportunity to study and work in Australia, UK, and Singapore. Even though I moved around a lot, my passion for children never once wavered and I’m so glad to be doing what I’m doing today.
Growing up with a preschool principal as a mother, I learned from a young age the importance of early intervention and collaborative work with parents in order to help children reach their utmost potential. In my years of experience working with the paediatric population, I have enjoyed involving parents in my sessions, and I continuously believe in empowering caregivers to be the main agents of change in their children’s lives. I take on a largely play-based, strength-focused, neurodiversity-affirming approach for the little ones, altering every session to meet their individual unique needs. I actively collaborate with other healthcare professionals, teachers, and stakeholders in my clients’ lives to ensure that they get the best care they deserve. I currently specialise in speech sound disorders (including childhood apraxia of speech), language delays or disorders (including natural language acquisition for gestalt language learners), and literacy, and I have also journeyed with families who are navigating developmental difficulties including ASD, ADHD, GDD, and hearing impairments, dysfluency (stuttering), fussy eating, selective mutism and more.
In recent years, I have expanded my area of care to include adults looking to improve their communication skills. I currently work with clients facing cognitive-communication difficulties, fluency disorders, language rehabilitation, or just wishing to improve their speaking skills in general! I am fluent in English and Bahasa Indonesia, and am comfortable conducting therapy in either language.
Supporting my clients to be confident in tackling their day-to-day communication needs has helped me grow as an individual and as a therapist. It has taught me to practise ethically, serve emphatically, and to help earnestly. I’m humbled and privileged to be able to encounter so many families and form deep connections with my clients and their caregivers. They say it takes a village to raise a child – let me be a part of yours!
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Hello! I’m Cherilynn and I am an Art Therapist from Singapore. When I was 14 years old, I moved to the USA for high school and that was the start of incorporating art into my daily life. I discovered the therapeutic benefits of artmaking and it helped me get through the difficult times of being away from my family and the comforts of my home. I continued to stay in the USA to get my Bachelors and Masters and have had the opportunity to work in the mental health field in both Singapore and the USA. This has given me the experience to work with different cultures and family backgrounds.
Even though my title is Art Therapist, I love to incorporate all kinds of creative modalities in sessions such as art making, storytelling, play, and baking. Drawing from person-centred theory, I meet my clients where they are at and believe that building a trusting therapeutic relationship is key. I support my clients by creating a safe environment to explore their feelings or self-awareness and allow them to embrace the creative process.
I have experience working with children and adults but especially enjoy working with children as I have learned the importance of early intervention. When working with children, I actively involve parents as consistency in and out of sessions is beneficial. I have worked with a wide array of mental health difficulties including ADHD, ASD, GAD, PTSD and depression/grief. However, I strongly believe that therapy can be beneficial for everyone and you do not need to have a diagnosis to be in therapy. Art can not only help those who find it difficult to find their words but can also be therapeutic, healing, and lead to self-discovery. Fundamental to my work is the belief that everyone has the ability to heal and grow. A big misconception with art therapy is that you have to be good at art. On the contrary, I have witnessed how a safe space can allow clients who have never done art, learn to enjoy the different creative processes freely. A big part of art therapy is the journey and not the destination, and I am passionate about guiding clients through their own journey.
A picture speaks a thousand words, so allow me to be your best art tool!
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Hello! I am Anuja. Growing up in a large, nuclear family in a kampong (village) meant that I was always surrounded by children to whom I was a nominated babysitter. Baby-sitting was fun as I was getting hugs, kisses, cuddles and invited to partake in fun games. But being around the children also made me realise that I could contribute more than just being their playmate. This realisation paved my career of working with children.
I started my journey as a preschool teacher. Over time, as my skills improved and I gained more knowledge in preschool education, I became more aware of children with varied learning, behavioural and physical needs – both in my professional and personal environments.
In 2008, I made the career switch to become a Special Education Teacher and I have not turned back. I have had the opportunity to work with children with a range of challenges, including Dyslexia, ADHD and ASD in a classroom, small group, as well as one-on-one settings. My journey has allowed me to work in both local and international schools, as well as therapy centres.
In addition to being trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach (an instructional approach intended primarily for use with individuals who have difficulty with reading, spelling, and writing), I am also trained in Learning Skills and Engagement for Underperforming Students, Auditory-Visual Interactive Decoding, and managing children with ADHD and its related emotional and behavioural difficulties. I have a special interest in behavioural management, language, and literacy development.
I do not believe that all children develop in the same way. Hence, my approach encompasses play, varied learning strategies and interactive experiences. I am a strong believer in empowering the child and family members with skills and strategies that will aid with their life-long learning and development as one unit.
Professional Qualifications & Affiliations
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