Sonia is a Lecturer and Acting Head of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. She is a Speech and Language Therapist and a certified member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (UK). Sonia is also registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (UK) and Allied Health Professions Council (Ghana).

Education

Sonia gained her B.Sc. in Economics and Social Policy from Birkbeck College, University of London. Following this, she switched career direction and gained an M.Sc. in Speech and Language Pathology and Therapy at University College London. Subsequent studies garnered her a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the UCL Institute of Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) from the Hornsby International Dyslexia Centre and a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies from the Tavistock and Portman NHS/University of East London. In 2013, Sonia was awarded a Medical Research Council (UK) studentship to undertake PhD study in Otorhinolaryngology at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University of Nottingham. Sonia is a licensed Elklan trainer, registered Hanen trainer (More Than Words; It Takes Two to Talk) and is certified to deliver the Lidcombe Programme for children who stutter.

Work Experience

Sonia specialises in paediatric Speech and Language Therapy, and in a career spanning over 20 years, has worked for the UK National Health Service (NHS) in hospitals, clinics, special and mainstream schools. She has also undertaken community outreach with charitable organisations and more recently, ran a private practice. Career highlights include being lead therapist for hearing impairment at Lincolnshire Community NHS. She was part of a multidisciplinary neuro-disability team at St James’ Hospital, Leeds, responsible for assessing and managing complex needs in children aged 0-5 years. Additionally, Sonia was employed for 7 years by Fairley House School, London’s largest school for children with dyslexia and/or dyspraxia, where she was initially a Speech and Language Therapist before being promoted to Development Director and becoming a member of the school’s Senior Management Team. Since relocating to Ghana in 2018, Sonia has been a member of the board of governors for Multikids Inclusive Academy in Accra, which is Ghana’s first inclusive international school. She also acts as a mentor and clinical supervisor for its team of Speech and Language Therapists.

Science/Research Output

Sonia’s research interests are in the following areas:

• The impact of Malaria on children’s language and cognition.
• Management of dysphagia and communication difficulties in children with Cerebral Palsy.
• Identification and treatment of speech, language and literacy difficulties among school-aged children.
• Adult learning and parental engagement in speech and language therapy.
• Clinical education of speech and language therapists.