Sucheta Kamath, founder of ExQ, always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. When she discovered the interconnectivity between language and cognition and the influence of neuroplasticity on brain-related disorders while working on her speech-language pathology degree and clinical fellowship, she knew this was how she could help.
Her revelation occurred when she met a 22-year-old woman who had a stroke during childbirth and developed Aphasia as a result, thereby losing her ability to communicate. The entire family showed up to the clinic with her and when Kamath started asking her questions, the family members would answer for the patient, not even giving her a chance to try to communicate. The concern for Kamath and staff was that if the patient did not attempt to answer, she would be unable to communicate with her baby. The woman’s mother-in-law told Kamath that the family could speak for her, so she did not need to re-learn how to speak for herself.
Kamath realized she could help those who were unable to communicate to become independent and find their voice.
She became a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Linguist with specialized training in Neurogenic Communication Disorders and is highly specialized in retraining those whose brains are sufficiently equipped with a keen intellectual ability, but have a diagnosed or unidentified Executive Dysfunction, which causes internal disorganization of thoughts, ideas, and implementation.
“People suffering from Executive Function Disorders are often viewed as lazy and underachieving, when they may just be misunderstood,” says Kamath. “I am here to represent the underdog, and to help them live up to their full potential.”
Coming to the United States from India as a young adult, Kamath knew what it felt like to be an outsider: to not understand the culture, the traditions, or even the slang. Learning how to adapt to her new world made her think differently, and this is exactly what she aims to teach her Executive Function patients. They must learn how to see the world around them differently and learn how to adapt and think differently so that they can then change their behavior.
Kamath who has traveled to more than 40 countries still loves to go new places. “To transcend is to travel. It changes how we see the world, and makes us engaged and powers up our observation skills”.