Professionals

ANDRIA

Andria has been working within Dubai since 2012. She is a South African trained speech-language therapist and audiologist who rejoined the kidsFIRST team. Her experience includes working with children in clinics, schools and hospitals. Andria's training includes TalkTools® Level 1, Interactive Metronome®, Orton-Gillingham, play-based therapy and the British Makaton system. 

Andria works with children with a wide range of speech-language, hearing and feeding difficulties; including language delays and disorders, speech sound production, dysfluency and auditory processing difficulties, as well as phonological awareness, literacy difficulties and eating/feeding concerns. Andria uses an interactive play-based approach focusing on developing social functional communication skills. She focuses not only on assisting children with their development, but also teaching parents and families how to effectively develop the child's skills.

With a passion for inclusive education, Andria has a masters in audiology with a specific interest in inclusion. She is also the founder of a fully inclusive class within a Dubai-based school.

BONNIE

Bonnie is a pediatric speech and language therapist who was awarded her Bachelor of Speech Pathology from the Australian Catholic University in 2017.

Bonnie has had experience within a variety of settings, including education centers for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, special education schools, mainstream education schools, and private clinics. She has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses, including articulation and phonological disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, dysfluency, dyspraxia, social-communication difficulties, complex communication needs, and Autism.

Bonnie is passionate about providing integrated and inclusive services within schools and the community, by delivering holistic, evidence-based, family-centered intervention.

Trained In:

• PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets)


• Hanen: It Takes Two to Talk


• PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display)


• SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support)

CLAIRE

In Dubai since 2008, Claire is a South African Speech and Language Therapist who joined the kidsFIRST team in 2011. She has experience working with children in a variety of pediatric settings including clinics, schools and hospitals. Claire's training includes Therapeutic Listening administrator, Sensory Integration Theory, the Lidcombe Program, Talk Tools Level 1 and the British Makaton system. Her ongoing professional development includes Orton-Gillingham and Floortime training.

Claire works with children with a wide range of speech and language difficulties, including language delays and disorders, speech sound production, dysfluency and auditory processing difficulties, as well as phonological awareness, and literacy difficulties. She favors a play-based approach to therapy and has a passion for working with young children and their parents (and teachers) to maximize their communicative abilities.

As Clinical Manager, Claire supervises the speech and language therapists and is involved in staff development, ensuring that kidsFIRST continues to provide the highest quality of service to families.

HANNELIE

Hannelie joined kidsFIRST in 2009, bringing extensive experience that includes 10 years working within a multidisciplinary team at an SEN school in South Africa. She also worked at an educational center for 3 years catering for children with dyslexia and dysgraphia. She is currently taking Auditory Processing Difficulties master classes and ASD Inside-Out course.

Hannelie supports children and their families who present with difficulties in speech sound production and phonology, speech fluency, hearing, auditory processing, phonological awareness, language skills, narrative building skills, and literacy skills. She has worked extensively with children with ASD, APD as well as children with difficulties in reading, spelling, and English as a foreign/additional language.

Hanen Certifications
- It Takes Two to Talk
- Learning Language and Loving it
- More Than Words
- Talkability
- Target Word
- Teacher Talk

Other Certifications
- Interactive Metronome
- Lidcombe Program
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule™, Second Edition (ADOS®-2)
- Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) Trained Clinician

Trained In
- Play Therapy
- SCERTS
- Attention Autism Programme - Gina Davies Autism Center
- The Curiosity Programme - Gina Davies Autism Center
- Social Thinking & Executive Functioning
- PROMPT
- CAPDOTS
- The Listening Program
- Makaton
- The Pixon Project (AAC)
- Orton-Gillingham
- RAVE-O
- Spell-Links
- THRASS
- Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition (MIGDAS-2)
- Palin PCI (Stuttering 0-7)
- Intensive Interaction
- AutPlay® Therapy Training

JANE

Jane graduated from Flinders University, Australia, in 2018 with a Bachelor of Speech Pathology and is a certified practicing member (CPSP) of Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). She is bilingual and fluent in spoken Arabic. 

Jane has worked across a range of private and public (government) organizations, school and childcare settings, and within the wider community. She has experience in working with children with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and receptive and expressive language disorders.

She has completed the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) training and has been involved in the implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems. She is also trained in the SOS Approach to Feeding which allows for the assessment and treatment of children with feeding difficulties.  

Jane is committed to providing support to all clients and their families, and is a strong advocate for client-centered care and collaborative practice.

KARLA

Karla is a speech language pathologist who holds a DOH license in Abu Dhabi and PRC license in the Philippines. She graduated BS Speech Language Pathology from the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute in the Philippines.  

Karla is passionately committed to advocating for children who have communication difficulties, providing support to children’s communication needs and helping them achieve their maximum potential.  

She engages with children through play and child-led activities, in which she can target various functional communication goals.  

She is also invested in empowering children’s families in building an environment that is safe, accepting, and encouraging for their children. 

Karla believes that being a speech language pathologist is more than just a job; it’s a vocation. Every single touchpoint that she has with a client is a fulfilling opportunity to make a difference in their lives. 

MAYSA

After graduating from the University of Jordan in 2007 with a BSc in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Maysa worked for five years in Jordan in a variety of pediatric settings including early intervention centers, clinics and schools. She has worked with children with diagnoses including Autism, Fluency disorders, Down syndrome, Articulation, and Early language delays.

In July 2010, she received her Diploma in Professional Development in Early Childhood based on "Working with Young Children" from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, in cooperation with Iman's Early Learning Center.

MAYSSOUN

With kidsFIRST since September 2014, Mayssoun graduated in 2000 as a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), working in Lebanon for almost six years before moving to Abu Dhabi. Providing therapy in French, English and Arabic, Mayssoun has experience with early intervention, cerebral palsy, polyhandicap, Autism, Down syndrome, language disorders, dyslexia and feeding problems.

Mayssoun is ADOS trained and HANEN Certified Trainer “Learning Language and Loving It” for early childhood educators. She is trained in British Makaton sign language. She is the first SLT in Abu Dhabi who is a certified provider for the Listening Program and inTime authorized provider.

She is the co-founder of the Emirates Speech Language Pathology Society and its Cultural Committee Chairperson since it was founded in 2017.

NOUR

Nour holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Language Therapy from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. After two years of work experience and continuous research, Nour completed her master’s degree in Speech and Language Therapy with a focus on specific disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, genetic syndromes, speech and language disorders, and stuttering. She is a Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk” certified speech and language therapist. Her pediatric path also includes parental guidance and support helping children reach their full potential.

Before moving to Abu Dhabi in 2019, Nour worked in Lebanon across a range of therapy settings including centers of rehabilitation, inclusive schools and nurseries, as well as in her private clinic. This is how she developed a strong passion for and a particular interest in early interventions as she believes it is key for helping children progress towards achieving age appropriate developmental milestones.

Nour has participated in several conferences and workshops related to updated neuroscience practices and multilingualism. She provides therapy sessions in Arabic, French and English.

RASIKA

Rasika completed her Masters degree in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology in 2013 at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University. With experience in both public and private health care, Rasika assesses and provides speech-language therapy to children with a diverse range of challenges, including language delays, auditory processing disorders, apraxia of speech, articulation and phonological disorders, stuttering or cluttering, dysarthria, and hypernasality. 

A certified practicing member of the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), Rasika has specialized training and experience in treating children with cleft lip and palate, helping children with customized therapeutic approaches that effectively address the areas of articulation, resonance, language, and social interactions. She is certified in Fundamentals of Music Therapy by the Chennai School of Music Therapy, and trained in Oral Placement Therapy Levels 1 & 2 by TalkTools. 

Rasika has a deep understanding of voice-related problems from her training and experience working with children/adolescents with vocal nodules, muscle tension dysphonia, puberphonia, and adults with vocal cord paralysis, spasmodic dysphonia, sulcus vocalis, vocal nodules, and other dysphonias. From this, she coaches aspiring and professional voice users (e.g. singers, actors, voice-over artists, teachers, etc.), guiding them to achieve and maintain optimum voice health. Her therapy approaches are specialized, practical, and relatable to individuals with voice problems to meet their distinctive requirements. 

In addition to Rasika’s clinical work, she has published research in peer-reviewed international journals (Karulkar & Gunjawate, 2021; Karulkar et al., 2020, 2022, 2023; Waknis et al., 2017). She firmly believes in collaborative efforts, working closely with parents, family members, and other multidisciplinary team members to address children's holistic needs and empower them to reach their full potential.  

SARAH

Sarah Nehme is a speech and language therapist who graduated in 2014 from the Lebanese University. She has supported children with special needs in different settings including inclusive schools, a rehabilitation center, private clinic, and an NGO’s clinic.

Sarah also has experience working with various cases and age groups using different approaches (individual, group, coaching and teletherapy). She has worked with patients who present with neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, Autism, intellectual deficiencies, syndromes, speech and language delays, phonology and articulation difficulties, behavioral disorders, learning difficulties, dyslexia, and dysgraphia.

Sarah believes that collaboration between parents and the therapy team is key to achieving a child’s goals and progress.

SEETA

Seeta qualified in 2009 as a speech and language therapist in the UK. In 2011, she qualified as a dysphagia and feeding specialist with UCL London. Since then, Seeta has been assessing and managing the needs of children who have complex dysphagia and feeding difficulties.

She has experience working with children who have had an acquired brain injury in a neuro rehabilitation setting. She has worked with children who have a range of needs including learning disability, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, speech disorders, oral motor difficulties and receptive and/or language difficulties.

Seeta is passionate about working with families and the multi-disciplinary team to ensure a child’s holistic needs are met to allow them to achieve their full potential.

SHWETHA

Shwetha completed her Bachelor in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology at Madras ENT Research Foundation, India. She has worked as a Speech Language Pathologist for over 5 years, while being licensed under the Rehabilitation Council of India.

Shwetha is keen and passionate about helping children communicate and learn. Her experiences include efficiently managing a team of speech language pathologists, special educators and occupational therapists and ensuring that the multidisciplinary team meets collective goals. She has conducted awareness training programs for parents about speech and language disorders, as well as rendered speech therapy, Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) and Early intervention for children.

Shwetha has predominantly worked with children diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, speech sound disorder, social communication disorder, language disorder, and children with feeding difficulties. She has completed Oral Placement Therapy Level 1 and FIE, a program which helps to improve child’s thinking skills and other cognitive processes.

As a speech and language therapist, Shwetha strongly believes in evidence-based approaches and following the child’s lead approach.

SOUAD

Souad joined kidsFIRST Medical Center after moving to Dubai from Lebanon in 2011. She previously worked in Lebanon as a speech and language therapist with children with special needs in a variety of pediatric settings including early intervention, hospitals, schools and clinics.

Souad currently works with children with a wide range of diagnoses, including speech articulation disorders, dysfluency, early language delays, receptive and expressive language disorders, auditory processing difficulties, as well as children with ADD, ADHD, Autism, Down syndrome, auditory processing disorder, learning difficulties (including reading and spelling difficulties).

She embraces a therapy method centered around play and is enthusiastic about helping children enhance their communication skills alongside parents and teachers.

Certifications:
- It Takes Two to Talk
- More Than Words
- Ayres Sensory Integration
- Lidcombe Program

Trained in:
- Makaton
- PROMPT
- Orton-Gillingham
- Social Thinking & Executive Functioning

As a clinical manager, Souad oversees the speech and language therapists, playing a pivotal role in staff growth and ensuring kidsFIRST maintains its commitment to delivering top-notch service to families.

VRIDHI

Vridhi joined kidsFIRST Medical Center after moving from the United States in 2008. She has practiced speech and language therapy and remediation for children with learning disabilities in public schools and private schools and in the private setting.

Vridhi specializes in working with children with a range of speech and language difficulties such as language delays and disorders, articulation, stuttering and auditory processing difficulties. She also provides remediation to children with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. She is trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to teach children with Dyslexia, the "Language!" literacy program, the Makaton Language Program, Talk Tools Level 1, Sensory Integration and Theory Level 1, the Lidcombe Program, PROMPT and the Hanen More Than Words Program.

As Clinical Director, Vridhi oversees the clinical aspects of running both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai clinics. She works closely with the clinical managers, head of schools and heads of department to ensure that kidsFIRST continues to provide the highest quality of service to families.