Online speech and development support for families in the UAE
From our centre in Multan, we coach Pakistani and South-Asian parents across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in Urdu and English, one hour off Pakistan time, so a child hears the same warm cues at home and at the clinic.
Our centre is in Multan, Pakistan — we don’t have a branch in United Arab Emirates. For families in United Arab Emirates we work entirely online, in English or Urdu, and we point you to your own country’s services too.
The Emirates hold one of the largest Pakistani communities anywhere, and in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi many parents already speak Urdu at home while their children switch to English at nursery and school. That mix is a gift and a puzzle: a child can seem quiet in one language and chatty in the other, and it is hard to know whether a delay is real or simply a bilingual child sorting out two systems. We spend a lot of our UAE sessions untangling exactly that.
Our home is a single physical centre in Multan, led by speech and language therapist Mahnoor Baloch. For families in the Gulf we do not open a branch or hold a UAE licence — we connect by video and coach parents directly. The draw for Emirates families is usually the language: talking through a two-year-old's late words, a tantrum at the school gate or a handwriting struggle in the parents' own Urdu, without translating feelings into a second tongue.
Distance is barely a factor here. With just one hour between us, a session that starts after Maghrib in Dubai is still comfortably inside our working evening in Multan, so we rarely have to compromise on timing the way we do with families in North America.
Working with families in United Arab Emirates
We start by listening. On the first video call we ask what a normal day looks like in your flat or villa — who the child speaks to, which language dominates, how mealtimes and bedtimes go — and what worries you most. From there we build a small, doable plan: a few speech targets, a behaviour routine, or a handwriting and sensory-regulation idea you can fold into ordinary Gulf family life.
Between calls you are the therapist. We show you how to model words during a trip to the mall, how to hold a calm boundary when a child melts down, and how to make daily-living skills like dressing or spoon-feeding into small wins. Our free Grow tools give you checklists and activity ideas in Urdu and English so you are never left guessing between sessions.
Our team spans speech therapy, ABA and behavioural support, special education, child psychology, developmental assessments and motor, handwriting and sensory-regulation skills. We do not have a licensed occupational therapist, so we are careful to describe that last area as practical motor and daily-living coaching rather than clinical OT.
Who we tend to help in the Emirates
Most of our UAE families are Pakistani professionals on employment visas — parents in construction, healthcare, retail, logistics and the trades — whose children were often born in Dubai or Sharjah and are growing up fully bilingual. Some have already been to a private child-development centre and want a second, culturally-familiar voice; others are on a clinic waiting list and want to start doing something useful at home now.
We also hear from families who move between the Emirates and Pakistan for the summer, and worry about keeping a child's progress steady across the two homes. Because we sit in Multan, we can keep coaching through those trips without a gap, which is one thing a purely local clinic cannot easily do.
How online sessions fit the Gulf week
The UAE working week now runs Monday to Friday with a Saturday-Sunday weekend, so we usually settle on a weekday evening or a weekend morning. With Gulf Standard Time one hour behind Pakistan, there is no awkward midnight call — your 7pm in Dubai is our 8pm in Multan.
Sessions run over a normal video call on a phone or laptop. We often ask a parent to keep the camera on the child during play so we can watch real behaviour rather than a described version of it, then pause and coach you in the moment. Urdu, English or a mix of both — whatever your family actually speaks at home is the language we work in.
Getting help where you are, too
Alongside working with us online, here’s how families in United Arab Emirates can reach support in their own area. Processes change, so always double-check locally.
Licensed clinics and school inclusion in the UAE
For a formal diagnosis or hands-on therapy in the Emirates, care runs through the health regulators — the Dubai Health Authority and the schools regulator KHDA in Dubai, and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi — who license clinics and child-development centres. A good first step is to ask your paediatrician for a referral, or speak to the inclusion unit at your child's school. Requirements and approved centres change, so please check the current position with your own authority or clinic.
Starting through your paediatrician
Many Pakistani families in the UAE already have a trusted paediatrician through their insurance network; that doctor is often the quickest route into an assessment and a licensed private centre. Coverage for speech, behavioural and developmental therapy varies a lot between insurers and emirates, so ask directly what your plan includes — the answer changes from policy to policy and year to year.
What we can do with your child online from United Arab Emirates
What we help children with in United Arab Emirates
Whether your child has a diagnosis or you’ve just started to worry, these are the areas we work with online. Tap any one to understand the signs and how we help.
Not sure where your child fits? Try our free 2-minute development check or which therapy does my child need?
Getting started from United Arab Emirates is simple
- 1
Message us on WhatsApp
Tell us your child’s age and what’s worrying you — a short message is enough. We reply in English or Urdu.
- 2
A free first consultation
We listen properly, ask a few questions, and give you an honest read on what your child needs — all over video. No pressure, no jargon.
- 3
A clear plan you can act on
You leave with a plan: online sessions where they help, plus a home program you can start the same week.
Questions from families in United Arab Emirates
Are you a licensed clinic in the UAE?
No. We are not licensed by the DHA, DoH or KHDA and we have no branch in the Emirates. We work with UAE families online only, as Urdu and English parent coaching and support. For a formal diagnosis or funded, hands-on therapy you should use a licensed local clinic, which we are happy to point you towards.
Which language do sessions run in?
Urdu, English or a blend — whatever your family speaks at home. For many Pakistani parents in Dubai and Sharjah the relief is being able to describe a child's behaviour in Urdu without translating it first.
What time will our calls be, given the time difference?
Gulf Standard Time is one hour behind Pakistan, so weekday evenings after work and school suit both of us. A 7pm slot in Abu Dhabi is 8pm for us in Multan — no late-night calls needed.
Can you replace our private centre in Dubai?
No, and we do not try to. Think of us as the between-sessions coach who helps you carry the plan into daily life at home. Your licensed UAE centre remains the place for assessment and hands-on therapy.
My child mixes Urdu and English and seems behind. Is that a problem?
Often it is normal bilingual development rather than a delay, but not always. On our first call we look at both languages together, since a child growing up between Urdu at home and English at nursery can look quieter in one than the other.
We travel to Pakistan every summer. Do sessions stop?
No. Because we are based in Multan, we can keep coaching you straight through your summer trips, which helps a child's progress stay steady across both homes.
Do you offer occupational therapy?
We do not have a licensed occupational therapist. We coach practical motor, handwriting and daily-living skills, and for clinical OT we would point you to a licensed centre in the Emirates.
Other areas we support
Written by the Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center therapy team · medically reviewed by Dr Muhammad Suffyan, MB BS (GMC 8023727) · Last reviewed July 2026
Let’s talk about your child — wherever you are in United Arab Emirates
A short, friendly conversation is the best first step. Call, text or WhatsApp us — we’ll listen and guide you, with no pressure.
MPS Road, Block A Model Town, Multan (near Bloomfield Hall School, Street No. 2) · Mon–Sat, 10 AM – 7 PM