Meet the team
- Pika Sen - Principal Speech-Language Therapist
- Joanne Silvestri - Senior Speech-Language Therapist
- Georgina Knight-Hassell - Senior Occupational Therapist
- Sarah Wong - Senior Physiotherapist
- Rena Ong - Literacy Specialist
- Przemek Ciastko - Play Therapist & Therapy Assistant
- Suresh Kumar - Educational Therapist
pika@excelerate.com.sg
Pika Sen
Principal Speech-Language Therapist
Pika graduated from Flinders University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Speech Pathology in June 1994. She immediately commenced work at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore managing a paediatric and adult caseload. Always on the look out for a challenge, Pika accepted a position at National University Hospital where she gained experience with a wide variety of children's speech and language disorders. She soon discovered that her niche (and her heart!) was in working with children's communication disorders and she began specialising. She completed her Masters Degree in Health Care Management from the University of Wales in 1999.
In August 1998, she set up The Speech Pathology Centre, a private practice where she treated a wide variety of children's communication disorders in her trademark small group delivery format. The practice has been running successfully for the past decade and has grown rapidly the past four years, evolving into a transdisciplinary centre of excellence. There are an unmatched number of facilities and senior staff members at the centre to ensure that only the highest quality of care is received by each client.
joanne@excelerate.com.sgJoanne Silvestri
Senior Speech-Language Therapist
Joanne Silvestri was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, where she attended Curtin University of Technology. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Communication Science and First Class Honours qualifications. She was awarded membership of the Vice-Chancellor's List, which is awarded to the top 1% of undergraduate students based on academic performance. In 2005, Joanne's Honours research was presented at the prestigious Clinical Aphasiology Conference in Sanibel Island, USA.
Joanne has gained a wide variety of experience working with infants, children and adults with communication and feeding difficulties. She has gained experience at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Disability Services Commission, Royal Perth Hospital, Curtin University Stuttering & Phonology Clinic, Metro Language Development Centre and State Child Development Centre, just to name a few!
Joanne was also a Research Assistant for the multi-national Looking at Language Study, which is based at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Western Australia. This study aims to investigate the causal risk factors that contribute to Specific Language Impairment in children.
Her passion towards early intervention along with her love of travel and new experiences led her to The Speech Pathology Centre where she began work in February 2005. Joanne has since been providing assessment and intervention services for infants, toddlers, children, adolescents and adults with a range of communication and feeding difficulties, including but not limited to:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Stuttering and Cluttering
- Phonological and Articulation Disorders
- Verbal Dyspraxia
- Developmental Delay
- Specific Language Impairment
- Cleft Lip/Palate
- Hearing Impairment
- Central Auditory Processing Disorder
- Aphasia
- Dysphagia
Joanne has also provided the following community education initiatives:
- Publications in parenting magazines (including Today's Parents and Young Parents)
- Co-authored Parent Educational Resources (including Raising Independent Children, Teaching Spontaneous Language Skills, Teaching Play Skills, Joint Action Routines)
- Parent Training Workshops
- Community Education Evenings
Georgina Knight-Hassell
Senior Occupational Therapist
Georgina is a British trained and registered Occupational Therapist. After working for a while in Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, London she moved to Singapore in 1998. Initially working in adult neurology at SGH her keen interest to work with children lead her to work in a number of paediatric settings. At Mt Alvernia and Margaret Drive Special School (Rainbow Centre) she worked with children with Cerebral Palsy and Down’s Syndrome, and at KK Hospital and the Child Development Unit (KKH) she worked with children with various developmental delays such as autism, ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia, visual-motor dysfunction, handwriting difficulties and sensory integration problems. She is trained in sensory motor work and has participated in various courses and workshops and is familiar with work such as the MORE and Floortime approaches, Samonas Sound Therapy and in the assessment and treatment of perceptual and handwriting difficulties. Following a maternity break to look after her two young children Georgina has returned to practice. Her enthusiasm to work with children again has led her to join The Speech Pathology Centre where she began in January 2005 on a part-time basis.
sarah@excelerate.com.sgSarah Wong
Senior Physiotherapist
Sarah received an Overseas Scholarship from KK Women's and Children's Hospital to pursue undergraduate physiotherapy studies in 1992. She graduated from University of Sydney in 1996 with first class honours. Upon her return to Singapore, Sarah joined KK Women's and Children's Hospital where she was one of the pioneers to develop paediatric physiotherapy services for the new paediatric wing of the hospital. In 2000, Sarah became the Head of Physiotherapy at Rehabilitation Department, leading a team of 12 physiotherapists in the 800 bedded hospital. She received further advance training in paediatric physiotherapy in 2001 when she was awarded a fellowship to study paediatric physiotherapy at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Rehab Institute of Chicago in USA. Sarah has presented numerous research papers in local and international conferences, taught at many local and regional workshops and numerous intra-hospital professional training and presentations.
In 2007, after 11 years of service in the public health sector, Sarah left KK Women's and Children's Hospital to join Team Excelerate.
rena@excelerate.com.sgRena Ong
Literacy Specialist
Rena Ong is an English lady, married to a Singaporean and has one teenage son. She has lived in Singapore for over 20 years and understands the needs and expectations of parents of both local and ex-pat children. Originally trained to teach State Registered Nurses and with an HND in Business Studies from the UK, she obtained her Diploma (Merit) to specialise in teaching children with Learning Difficulties(Dyslexia &ADHD specialities), which she has been doing privately and in liaison with local and International schools in Singapore for over 10 years. She has vast experience in the teaching of Reading, Spelling and Writing to children of all ages. Her aim is to encourage and teach children within their capabilities, to enjoy and recognise words at a level that will help them cope with social skills or at the higher levels of story writing and comprehension.
Przemek Ciastko
Play Therapist & Therapy Assistant
Przemek brings us a wealth of experience from his training of youths. He is dedicated to developing their social interactive skills, training them to be independent with their activities of daily living and guiding them in their creative play and art work in order to encourage social development, build their self esteem and their sense of purpose.Graduating with a Master of Pedagogy Rehabilitation and Social Prevention from the Faculty of Teacher Education, Special Education and Psychology at the University of Silesia in Poland, Przemek brings a unique perspective to the practice of traditional Occupational Therapy. He is able to blend science with art and warmth with firm guidance to elicit the best from the children under his care.Przemek joined The Speech Pathology Centre in November 2005 as a full-time Play Therapist & Therapy Assistant.
Suresh Kumar
Educational Therapist
Suresh graduated from Deakin University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology in December 1999. He returned to Singapore and worked at the Behavioral Health unit of Mount Elizabeth Hospital for the next 3 years. During this time, he worked with adults with various emotional and behavioral difficulties. Subsequently, he worked in the children's ward and found that he had a talent for working with children with various psychological and learning difficulties. He returned to Deakin University in 2003 to complete his Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology. Since 2004, he has been working with psychiatrists and therapists on a private basis supporting their work with clients dealing with difficult times in their lives. He also worked as an English Language teacher in schools on a part time basis. His love for working with children led him to join the Speech Pathology Centre where he started work in September 2005.