I have an avid interest in working with the neonatal and paediatric population, treating every tiny human in a way they learn best. I have completed my thesis in assessing the oral feeding skills of premature neonates and have a keen interest in the same. I constantly endeavour to update my knowledge with current evidence-based practice & share the same with my team to ensure the best outcomes for the clients.
I am passionate about being around kids, giving them a different perspective and learning different perspectives from them. Along with this, I love to create resources for kids that can make speech therapy more fun, engaging and easy to transfer.
I have an avid interest in working with children on the spectrum and children with feeding disorders. I am a voracious reader who mainly reads fiction, however, if you don’t find me with my books then I am probably baking a few desserts!
I strongly believe in the parent and child empowerment approach to enable every individual to access their individuality in this society. I believe in just 'being' rather than 'fitting in'.
Bachelors and Masters in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology from Topiwala National Medical College (Nair hospital). I have completed my observership at Tata Hospital, AIIPMR and Nanavati Hospital during my internship program. I have also completed the Langmore Foundation FEES course & Post Laryngectomy Rehabilitation Course in 2019 at Tata Hospital.
Ridhika Shah is the founder of The Pollyanna Practice. She is also a consulting Speech Language Therapist and the ‘Grandstand Coordinator’ at ‘The Gateway School of Mumbai’
Ridhika holds a Bachelors and Master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology from TN medical college & B.Y.L Nair charitable hospital, Mumbai and is a gold medalist in the state of Maharashtra for her final year graduation program. She is certified by the Rehab Council of India and is a member of ISHA (Indian Speech & Hearing Association). She has also received training and is certified by Hanen.
Ridhika has a special interest in pediatric language based challenges, Auditory processing (listening) difficulties, Autism spectrum disorders, Apraxia of speech, fluency disorders, feeding difficulties and picky eaters. She believes that language and movement go hand in hand and her style of therapy is holistic, experiential, with parent empowerment being a cornerstone of her approach.
Ridhika is experienced in actively working with other professionals in the client’s community including the schools to support transfer and generalization of skills into the real world and inclusion within the community.
School based therapy is another area of interest and Ridhika owes her learning to the Gateway school of Mumbai, a pioneering lab school with best practices for children with learning difficulties.
During her Master’s degree, Ridhika constructed a test of pragmatic skills for children of the age range of 5-10 years which led to her love of working towards building pragmatic/ social-communication skills in groups and their transfer into real life. Currently she is the Coordinator of Grandstand, a unique social space at Gateway, where large groups of children share, enjoy and communicate with each other and are also taught to transfer various 21st century skills (i.e collaboration, problem solving etc) to real life experiences.
Ridhika, a passionate believer in the power of positivity, tries to imbibe the same in her practice. Dream big, act towards it and magic follows!
If she’s not working, Ridhika is wandering away and exploring a new place either through her travels or is transported there via her books!
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37/41 Ground Floor, Kala Bhavan Building, Mathew Road, Behind Royal Opera House, Mumbai – 400004
+91 98202 90290, +91 8369233133
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I have worked with the Gateway School of Mumbai for about 8 years in different leadership capacities as well as Fazlani L’Academie Globale for 2 years where I helped in setting up the Special Education department. I have worked with children to help them transition from school into colleges and organizations to pursue further studies and vocations, while also working with different schools to suggest strategies for the students I work with.
Confucius rightly said “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.” I believe in the play way method and that children learn best when taught differently, because after all, one size doesn’t fit all and we should respect individual differences. Children must also know that learning can be FUN!
My love for children brought me into this field and apart from my practice; I enjoy working with data → collection, analysis and streamlining of information. I also enjoy interdisciplinary collaborations and planning workshops for children.
I completed my degree in Bachelors of Arts from Jai Hind College. I started my journey into education with an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCEd) from Dr. Madhuri Shah K.G. and Nursery School, Khar, followed by a Bachelor of Education (Specialization in Learning Disabilities) from SNDT Women’s University, Juhu.