About Desi Speech Pdx LLC

Hi, my name is Prema Ellis-Jeffrey, M.A. CCC-SLP, and I am the founder and owner of Desi Speech Pdx LLC. I offer private Speech & Language Therapy services in the NE &  upper SE areas of Portland, Oregon. My services are home-based and/or at your child's daycare/preschool/school ( with school agreement) and include Speech-Language screenings, assessments, and intervention for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. 

My mission is to provide individualized Speech Therapy based on your child's needs and interests. Desi Speech Pdx LLC recognizes the importance of including the families during the therapy journey.  My business is a certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) through COBID (Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity).

I am a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in the state of Oregon and maintain my certification with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).  I graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) in 2004. I have over 10 years of experience working with a wide range of clients, including preschoolers, school-aged children (K-12), and underserved families. In addition, I have experience working in private catholic schools and with Home Health. 

I have worked closely in the areas of speech and language delays, articulation/phonological delays, receptive/expressive language delays, social/pragmatic language delays, Autism Spectrum disorder, developmental delays, and stuttering/dysfluency.  Early identification is so important, and I hope by providing mobile services, I will reach more families in need of speech-language intervention.  I would also like to help children who may not have qualified for school-based speech services, need more service time, or need more intense therapy.

I did take a break from my SLP career to be a stay-at-home parent for my two children.  Now that they are older and more independent, I can get back to a career that brings me great joy and satisfaction. I enjoy working closely with children and their families/caregivers, to help strengthen their overall communication.

On a more personal note, I grew up in a small rural/farming area of Oregon. I am of East Indian descent and have always felt a strong connection to my Indian heritage. Growing up, I always knew the world was a "big place".  I always had the desire to see the world, meet new people, engage with different cultures, and have new/different experiences. This sense of adventure helped me make the decision to get my undergraduate degree in Florida and master's degree in California. My husband and I have instilled this sense of adventure/travel with our kids. We have traveled internationally as a family on many different occasions. After getting married and working in the public school setting for many years, my family moved to Washington, D.C., for my husband’s job. However, we always felt the pull of the West Coast lifestyle, so in 2021, we moved back to Portland.