‘It’s not what you say, but how you say it’ – this famous catchphrase depicts that the ability to communicate effectively in all situations from one on one communication to group discussions. The foundation of these skills begin as early as pre-schoolers’ level; while children’s speech development do take time, parents should not hold onto the idea that their child will grow out of speech problems. “In childhood speech and language disorders, early identification and intervention are necessary for the child to cope with academic pressures that start as early as kindergarten these days, and we do exactly that. Awareness & acceptance about your or your child’s speech problem is the first step of our therapy,” asserts Dnyanada Potdar, Founder, Consulting Audiologist & Speech Therapist at Hear Well Clinic. Hear Well Clinic (HWC) believes in being proactive in treating hearing and speech disorders. The clinic adopts a holistic approach to treat speech & language problems in children and adults.

HWC caters to individuals with speech disorders ranging from delayed speech to speech

disorders due to stroke and paralysis. Its paediatric population includes children with autism, Down’s syndrome, structural disorders like congenital cleft lip and palate along with normal children with mild delays in language development to stammering and unclear speech. The clinic’s regular group speech therapy sessions assist children in enhancing their social communication skills. Parents are indispensible to the therapy program and are involved at all levels of therapy. Home programs are given to be followed at home. Parents and families are guided with activities that will benefit their children in developing speech at all levels.

"HWC caters to individuals with speech disorders ranging from delayed speech to speech disorders due to stroke and paralysis"

Leveraging Technology
HWC is accredited by Rehabilitation Council of India(RCI) and is in compliance to Indian Speech & Hearing (ISHA) bylaws. HWC has consulted patients from other countries, where speech therapy services are either too expensive or inaccessible. The clinic offers teleconsultation for its offshore clients. As speech disorders are often caused by hearing problems, HWC, being a one-stop-speech, voice and hearing clinic, offers different kinds of hearing tests for infants to adults. Hearing diagnostics, including Pure Tone Audiometry, Impedance Audiometry, Oto Acoustic Emissions (OAEs) and other hearing tests are conducted in industry specified sound treated room. HWC has always been at the forefront in adopting latest trends in diagnostics and treatment modalities, and strives to

stay abreast with fast-changing technology. Latest branded digital state-of-the-art hearing aids are prescribed for individuals with a variety of hearing disorders.

Rehabilitation
HWC frequently conducts a variety of innovative workshops for its patients & their families. These parent educational workshops include various activities ranging from awareness about autism, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, early identification of hearing & speech disorders, techniques to improve attention and concentration, & value of simply playing with their child. These along with psychological topics facilitate parents to understand their child’s diagnosis and make informed treatment decisions. Moreover, HWC’s regular creative workshops (music, yoga, gardening, and arts & craft) break the monotony and help to enhance children’s social skills and parental involvement.

For professionals desiring to enhance their speaking skills, HWC offers them accent reduction programs and also conducts workshops regularly for professional voice users. Its ‘Heal Your Life’ workshops are based on the philosophy of Loiuse Hay - Yoga, Meditation & positive affirmations about yourself. HWC envisions entering the corporate world in the next five years and expanding its service to the general population. This 2005-founded clinic in Powai has conducted more than 100 audiology camps all over Maharashtra to identify individuals with hearing disorders, and is involved with Rotary Clubs & Senior Citizen’s Associations all over Mumbai.