Dyslexia and literacy support in Dubai

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects reading accurately and fluently, and spelling. It is not related to intelligence. Many children with dyslexia have difficulty with phonological skills: hearing, identifying and working with the sounds in words.

Because reading and spelling are built on spoken language, speech-language therapists are well placed to support them. I support children in Dubai with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, and I am trained in Orton-Gillingham, phonological awareness and reading comprehension strategies.

Ask about your child · Parent guide

Signs of dyslexia

Difficulty with rhyme, or with clapping syllables in words
Difficulty learning letter names and the sounds that go with them
Slow, effortful reading, or guessing words from the first letter or the pictures
Spelling the same word in different ways
Avoiding reading or becoming tired quickly when reading
Understanding stories read aloud much better than when reading alone
A family history of reading or spelling difficulties

How I help

I focus on the skills beneath the difficulty, with structured, evidence-informed teaching:

Phonological awareness: hearing and manipulating the sounds in words
Decoding: linking letters and sounds to read words accurately
Spelling: understanding spelling patterns and building encoding skills
Reading fluency and reading comprehension
Written language: sentence construction and narrative writing

The Orton-Gillingham approach

Orton-Gillingham is a structured literacy approach. Teaching is explicit, systematic and cumulative: each new skill builds on the last, and children see, hear, say and write what they are learning. Lessons are adapted to the child, moving on once a skill is secure.

Questions parents ask

Can a speech therapist help with dyslexia?

Yes. Reading and spelling are built on spoken language skills, especially phonological awareness. Speech-language therapists with literacy training can assess and support these underlying skills alongside reading and spelling.

At what age can dyslexia be identified?

Early signs, such as difficulty with rhyme or learning letter sounds, can show before school age. Dyslexia is usually identified once a child has had reading instruction, but support with the underlying skills does not need to wait for a formal diagnosis.

Does my child need a formal diagnosis of dyslexia first?

No. A formal diagnosis is usually made through a psycho-educational assessment, but intervention can start based on your child’s difficulties with reading, spelling and sound skills.