Author-speak: Priya Desai

Priya Desai is an independent speech and language therapist working with school children. Priya is based in London. She has authored 2 books for helping and motivating children to overcome difficulties in writing and spelling– inspired by her experiences of working with them. These are – Benjamin Writer-Messy (reviewed here) and Jake Monkey-Tail.

Check out her website and you can also follow her for interesting updates on Twitter : @priyaauthor. 

Q:  As a speech and language therapist how do you help children?

Speech and language therapists help children develop their overall communication skills. We typically help children develop their speech sounds, vocabulary and language skills; so this may be children who have disabilities or children who have a developmental language delay. We also work with children who have stammer and children that need help with social language.

Q: How do you work with children, especially the younger ones?

I work with children individually. Sometimes, it’s helpful if parents take part but this is more so that they can see how I am interacting with their child; they can then follow these methods at home. With younger children, often therapy goals start with building their attention and listening skills – once this has developed, they are more receptive and able to follow what I am trying to teach and model to them.

Q: What are the warning signs that a parent could watch for which may indicate a potential speech problem for the child?

This is very much related to developmental language milestones; however, as a parent you must follow your instincts, too. For example: Can you always understand your child’s speech? Do they know many words? Does your child talk much? Does their language acquisition appear slow?

If you do have any concerns, it’s important to speak to your child’s doctor, who can then refer you to a speech and language therapist; or you can consult an independent speech and language therapist directly.

Q: Can one normally expect a 100% success rate in resolving speech difficulties for children? 

For me, as long as a child is continually making progress, that is my equivalent to a 100% success rate. Progress and success is possible, if the given speech and language support strategies are used consistently by the child’s immediate family.

Q: You’ve written two books – Benjamin Writer-Messy and Jake Monkey-Tail. What inspired you to write these books? How have they been received?

I was inspired to write both my books by the children that I work with. One day occurred to me that children don’t seem to have any positive role-models available to them, who are learning about exactly what they are such as, handwriting and spelling etc. So, I thought that I would write something! I started with Benjamin Writer-Messy, a story about a boy who has terrible handwriting; and then I moved on to Jake Monkey-Tail, a story all about spelling.

And yes, the books have been well-received by children and parents, too. Children can relate the characters easily; and for parents, the books support them in encouraging their children with developing their writing and spelling.

Q: Any other books in the works?

Yes! There are more stories on the way – I’m just not sure when as yet; hopefully in 2014.

Q: Working with children can be an enriching experience. What have been your personal take-aways?

Working with children is incredibly beautiful. My day is filled with so many special moments. I enjoy working with children individually and giving them the time that they need. And it’s great to get to know each of their characters and develop lessons around what they like.

When a child finds something difficult, it’s my job to think of a new and creative way to help them. I love that I learn with children, as opposed to just being a ‘teacher’ – I don’t think we can ever stop learning when we are with children.

Thank you very much for your time, Priya, much appreciated.

First posted at IndianMomsConnect here