"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
— Author unknown, often attributed to T.H. Thompson
A combined neurology and speech-language pathology practice in Pasadena, CA. We care for young adults in transition, adults, and elders — with attention to communication, mood, behavior, thinking, and movement.
There is currently no wait time — we can schedule you right away. We see clients Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Our approach is neurodiversity-affirming, family-centered, and interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on building independent, meaningful communication that can be used across environments and throughout daily life.
For young adults in transition from pediatric care with neurodevelopmental needs, Dr. Emily McFadd and Dr. Ashim Ahuja work side by side to address speech, communication, behavior, thinking, learning, memory, and movement. Together, we've built something families rarely find in one place: AAC and neurology expertise working hand in hand, with the same trusted providers walking alongside you at every stage.
Our focus is designing a care plan that's right for you and your loved ones — flexible enough to include one or both of us, and supported by a network of providers in other specialties we can bring in when it's helpful.
Dr. McFadd also works with young adult clients on her own, for those who'd like to focus primarily on communication.
Dr. Ahuja also works with clients on his own, focusing on neurologic conditions affecting thinking, memory, mood, behavior, and movement. He sees clients of all ages, from childhood to elder years. Additionally, he works with people who don't have a diagnosis at all — just questions about their own brain health and longevity, especially if a condition like Alzheimer's runs in the family.
How We Treat
Our treatment and relationship model
Our approach to care is humanistic and holistic, connecting personally with each of our clients to foster a calm and kind atmosphere. Focusing on quality of life, we feel strongly that we heal best in community, through continuity, and with loving kindness. We view ourselves, our clients, and their loved ones as a team, creating a treatment plan that aligns with their values and goals. We view the mind and body as one being, bringing together the benefits of western and eastern medicine, lifestyle, diet, mindfulness, spirituality, and mental health.
From there, we build an ongoing care plan around what each client actually needs — often intensive speech therapy alongside at least monthly visits with neurology. None of this is about prescribing something and moving on. We make recommendations and walk through them together, adjusting as necessary in real time. A true collaboration, our way of practicing means we're learning from you just as much as you're learning from us.
Family coaching and support are part of that plan, too — strengthening the relationship between you and the people who love you is as much our focus as the clinical work itself.
We work from a model of care, but hold it flexibly, adjusting as your needs change over time. We currently see clients on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
That same philosophy extends to people who are healthy today but thinking ahead — brain health and cognitive longevity are as much a part of what we do as treating an existing diagnosis.
Who We Treat
Across transition and adult life
When school ends and pediatric care ages out, the whole support structure tends to go with it — the team that knew you, the plan that was already working, the people who kept it coordinated. We built this practice for what comes next.
