Developmental needs we address

Here at Esperanza Speech and Occupational Therapy Centre, we know that no two children blossom in the same way. Our caring team is dedicated to working closely with you and your family, fostering a warm environment where your child’s unique potential can be gently discovered and nurtured.

Here’s a glimpse into some of the areas where we partner with children and families, always tailoring our approach to the individual child’s journey

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): We understand that for children with ADHD, the world can feel like it’s moving too fast or demanding a focus that’s hard to grasp. We walk alongside them, exploring strategies together to help channel their unique energy, build their inner pause button (self-regulation), and find positive ways to navigate social situations and tasks. It’s about helping them find their rhythm and thrive.

• Behavioral and Conduct Disorders: Our approach is rooted in understanding the ‘why’ behind the behavior. We work closely with children to decode social cues, practice expressing their needs constructively, and build bridges towards more harmonious interactions with family and friends.
• Feeding Disorders: Mealtimes should ideally be times of connection and nourishment, but for some children and families, they become sources of stress. Whether it’s extreme pickiness, sensory challenges, or difficulty swallowing, we gently guide children (and support parents) towards exploring foods with more confidence, building healthier eating patterns, and making mealtimes a more relaxed and positive experience.
• Learning Disabilities: When learning feels like an uphill climb despite a child’s brightness and effort, a specific learning difference might be playing a role. We look beyond labels to understand how your child learns best. Our support is carefully shaped around their individual profile, helping them unlock strategies to tackle academic challenges, build essential skills, and importantly, regain confidence in their ability to learn and succeed.
• Speech Delays: It’s incredibly frustrating for a child when their words don’t come out right, or when they struggle to keep up with conversations. We create engaging, supportive environments where children can build their communication toolkit. Through tailored activities and encouragement, we help their language skills catch up, empowering them to share their wonderful ideas, needs, and stories with the world.
• Apraxia of Speech: For children with Apraxia, the message from the brain to the mouth muscles gets a bit scrambled, making speech sound unclear or effortful, even when they know exactly what they want to say. We use specialized techniques focused on motor planning – essentially helping the brain and mouth coordinate their dance – guiding them step-by-step towards clearer, more effortless, and more confident communication.
• Cleft Lip and Palate: Even after surgical repair, children born with a cleft lip or palate can face unique hurdles related to how they produce speech sounds or manage feeding comfortably. Our therapists bring specific expertise to address these intricacies, providing targeted strategies and support to help children achieve the clearest speech possible and develop safe, effective eating skills.
• Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD): For children navigating Sensory Processing Disorder, the everyday world can feel like a confusing mix of signals – sounds might be too loud, clothes too scratchy, or movements unsettling. Sometimes, they might barely notice things others do, or constantly seek out intense sensations. We partner with them to understand their unique sensory world, creating personalized ‘sensory diets’ – routines filled with just-right activities – to help their nervous system find balance. Our aim is to increase their comfort with daily sensations and empower them with strategies to stay calm and centered.
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) / Dyspraxia: When a child has DCD (sometimes called Dyspraxia), simple physical tasks like tying shoelaces, catching a ball, or even handwriting can feel like complex puzzles. It’s as if the ‘how-to’ message gets lost between the brain and the body. We work closely with these children, exploring ways to improve how they plan and carry out movements. By strengthening fine and gross motor skills and patiently breaking down activities into achievable steps, we help them build coordination and confidence for everyday independence.
• Fine Motor Delay: When tiny tasks like buttoning a shirt, holding a pencil comfortably, or using scissors feel tricky, a fine motor delay might be the reason. These skills are crucial building blocks for independence and school success. Our sessions focus specifically on strengthening those small hand muscles, refining pencil grip and control for easier writing, and improving the intricate dance between what the eyes see and the hands do (hand-eye coordination).
• Gross Motor Delay: While physiotherapy often takes the lead with significant gross motor delays, occupational therapists also play a key role, especially when challenges with posture, balance, or larger movements impact a child’s ability to participate in daily routines – like sitting stable at a desk, navigating the playground, or getting dressed independently. We help integrate these foundational skills into functional activities.
• Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral Palsy affects movement and posture in diverse ways, often impacting a child’s ability to engage fully in activities like eating, dressing, writing, or playing alongside peers. Our role in occupational therapy is to find creative ways to bridge these gaps. We focus on adapting tasks and environments to match their unique abilities, explore helpful assistive devices that promote independence, and work on strategies to support muscle tone and motor control for greater participation in life.
• Visual Motor and Visual Perceptual Issues: Seeing clearly isn’t just about eyesight; it’s also about how the brain understands and uses what the eyes see to guide actions. When children struggle with visual motor or perceptual skills, tasks like copying from the board, completing puzzles, judging distances, or even forming letters correctly can be surprisingly difficult. Our therapy involves activities designed to improve visual tracking and scanning, sharpen eye-hand coordination, and build a better understanding of spatial relationships, helping them navigate their visual world more effectively.

At Esperanza, we truly see every child’s path as unique, a journey deserving of understanding and expert guidance. You can feel confident knowing that each member of our therapy team brings over eight years of dedicated experience specifically in paediatric speech and occupational therapy right here in Dubai, partnering with families like yours. We believe the strongest progress happens when we work together as a team; therapist, child, and you. That’s why we warmly invite and encourage parents to join our sessions. By being present, you gain invaluable insights, learn practical strategies firsthand, and become an integral part of reinforcing progress at home, making the therapeutic journey even more effective.

If you feel Esperanza might be the right place for your family, please reach out. We’d love to talk about how we can walk alongside you and your child as they grow and thrive.