Meet some of the clinicians who may work with your child.

Kruthika S. is a speech-language pathologist specialising in Hanen strategies, Makaton, Oral Placement Therapy, PROMPT, and AAC interventions, with 16+ years of experience supporting children with speech, language, and communication needs.

She provides personalised, child-centred therapy through online sessions, helping children develop effective communication skills and build confidence in their everyday interactions.

She believes in a family-centred approach with child-led therapy for successful intervention.

Chayashree is a speech-language pathologist who helps children build communication skills through evidence-based, child-centred, play-based care, making therapy feel more fun and naturalistic.

Her certifications include Certified Play Therapist; PROMPT (Level 1); Oral Placement Therapy (Levels 1 and 2); Natural Language Acquisition (NLA); Avaz-certified AAC Professional; and Integrating the Mouth with Sensory and Postural Function.

Her work spans child-led, play-based therapy; speech and language support for language, literacy and social communication, alongside articulation, phonological, fluency and speech-clarity difficulties; neurodiversity- affirming practice with a focus on Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition; AAC and multimodal communication; social skills groups; and collaborative, family-centred care.

Her aim is to help every child reach their full communication potential, because every voice deserves to be heard.

Rohana M. Nair is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a Bachelor of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (BASLP) and a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology (MSc. SLP). She is a Certified Neurodiversity-Affirming Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) Practitioner, with a special interest in child and adolescent language development.

She has partnered with more than 500 families, providing individualised, evidence-informed intervention for children and adolescents with a wide range of communication needs, and she is part of the Cornerstone team.

Her clinical approach is rooted in neurodiversity-affirming practice: meaningful communication, functional language development, and families working alongside the therapist. She has a particular interest in naturalistic, child-led approaches that support authentic communication in everyday environments, and she believes every child deserves to feel understood and confident. Her aim is to help children become open, free and fearless communicators, while giving parents and caregivers practical strategies.

Outside clinical practice, she enjoys singing, journalling and creative design, and she is passionate about community outreach and mentoring.

Jesia is a speech-language pathologist. She believes every child has the potential to communicate in their own way, and works to help each child find their voice with confidence.

Through play-based, evidence-based therapy, she creates meaningful opportunities for children to develop speech, language, social communication and interaction skills in a supportive environment. Sessions may include building with blocks, exploring sensory activities, bringing stories to life, singing songs, playing under a rainbow parachute, and using AAC through speech-generating apps and picture-based communication boards (such as Avaz).

She works closely with families so that the skills built in the therapy room carry on beyond it.

Adlin Rebecca Thomas is a speech-language pathologist with a Bachelor’s degree in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, and experience working with children and families across Chennai, Nagercoil and Bangalore.

Her special interest is paediatric speech and language therapy, with a focus on Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), early intervention, play-based and child-led therapy, and parent coaching and family-centred care. She enjoys creating engaging, meaningful therapy experiences that help children build communication skills with confidence.

Outside work, she enjoys painting, drawing, dancing and fashion.

Merin Susan John is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a strong interest in paediatric communication and early intervention.

She supports children and their families through a compassionate, child-centred and evidence-based approach that builds confidence and meaningful communication in everyday life.

M.V. Patricia Pratheeba, B.O.T., heads the Department of Occupational Therapy at Cornerstone. With 23 years of experience in paediatric occupational therapy, she has built a career supporting children with diverse developmental and sensory needs.

She is certified in Handwriting Without Tears, Therapeutic Listening, SoSafe, and Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) for Autism. She is passionate about understanding the behaviour of children with special needs, and about empowering parents, guardians, teachers, educators, and therapists through training in behavioural analysis and autism support.

Her holistic, neurodiversity-affirming approach focuses on recognising each child’s individual strengths and needs. She consults with several schools to support the inclusion of neurodivergent children in mainstream education.

Patricia has helped establish vocational centres for children who need support in Tirupur, and the SCOPE Centre at Siva ENT, Chennai, and she contributed to organising the Sister Cities Sign-Up Ceremony between Chennai and San Antonio. Driven by compassion, advocacy, and innovation, she continues to work toward more inclusive opportunities and supportive environments for neurodivergent children and their families.

Jawahar is an occupational therapist. He describes his work as turning play into progress.

“I believe every child has their own way of discovering the world. As an occupational therapist, I create opportunities for children to develop skills through movement, creativity and meaningful everyday experiences. My focus is on nurturing independence while celebrating each child’s strengths and progress.”

In practice, that means sessions built around fun, engaging activities that build confidence, skills and independence, one smile at a time.

Vidisha is an occupational therapist. She works with children on sensory regulation, motor skills and the everyday skills that build independence, always through child-led, play-based sessions.

Her special interests and expertise:

• Sensory integration and regulation
• Autism and developmental delays
• Fine and gross motor skill development
• Handwriting readiness and visual perception
• Daily-living (ADL) training and functional independence
• Child-led and play-based interventions

Spandana CH is a licensed clinical psychologist (RCI) with an M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology and 14+ years of experience. Her expertise spans child development, adult mental health, and geriatric care, including Alzheimer’s.

With wide experience in clinical settings and in establishing holistic child-development programmes, she is dedicated to compassionate, evidence-based psychological care.

Arun Jacob is a qualified clinical psychologist with 14+ years of experience across psychiatric hospitals, cancer care, NGOs, and corporate mental health. He specialises in anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, and addiction.

His approach is compassionate, non-judgemental, and evidence-based, focused on creating a safe space and empowering people with practical skills for resilience and long-term well-being. He is committed to reducing stigma and promoting mental-health awareness.

Sreelakshmi holds an MSc in Psychology and has hands-on experience working with the neurodevelopmental community. Her practice blends child-centred and family-centred approaches so that care is collaborative and compassionate.

Everything she does is grounded in evidence-based practice, with attention to professional and ethical principles. Her goal is to foster inclusion, empower families, and build supportive environments where every child can thrive.

Raveena M. Nair is a speech-language pathologist who has been part of the Cornerstone team for the past five years. Her work is rooted in a love for children and a wish to help each child find their own voice, express themselves, and connect with the world around them.

She has a keen interest in play-based therapy, believing children learn best when they feel safe, understood, and genuinely engaged. Through play, she creates opportunities for children to communicate, explore, interact, and build skills in ways that feel natural and enjoyable.

Raveena places strong emphasis on parent training and caregiver involvement, working alongside families and offering practical strategies that fit into everyday routines, so therapy extends beyond the clinic.

Her areas of interest include paediatric speech and language development, language delays and disorders, speech-sound disorders, fluency, functional communication, early communication intervention, play-based therapy, and family-centred practice. For Raveena, the work is about celebrating small milestones, building trust, and helping every child find the confidence to communicate in their own way.

Toshita Pillai (M.Sc. SLP) is a compassionate speech-language pathologist committed to helping people communicate with confidence. With a personalised and evidence-based approach, she creates a supportive environment that empowers each client to reach their communication goals.

Eva is a speech-language pathologist at Cornerstone, with a genuine passion for supporting children and their families.

She believes communication is more than speaking: it is about connecting with others, expressing needs, sharing ideas, and building relationships. She creates therapy sessions that are engaging, purposeful, and personalised to each person’s strengths, needs, and goals.

Her areas of expertise include paediatric speech and language disorders; cleft lip and palate rehabilitation; early intervention; and family-centred, evidence-based speech-language intervention.

Manisha Paidi is a co-founder and the Executive Director of the practice.

Sobha is a front-desk executive with experience as a customer-service executive. She enjoys interacting with people, helping patients and visitors, and ensuring smooth front-office operations, and she is friendly, organised, and committed to professional, courteous service.

Her areas of expertise include customer service and communication; front-desk administration; teamwork and organisational skills; handling patient enquiries with empathy; and appointment scheduling and coordination.