Resources
Guides for the hard conversations
Practical reading for the first call, the school meeting and the insurance form.
Parent guides
Start here.
How to talk to your child's school about an SEN diagnosis
A practical guide to raising a new SEN diagnosis with your child's school and getting a constructive response.
Insurance and special needs therapy in the UAE: what to ask your provider
The specific questions to ask your UAE health insurer before starting therapy for your child.
Choosing between home, school and centre-based therapy
How to decide which setting works best for your child's therapy — home, school, or a dedicated centre.
What clinical supervision actually means (and why it matters)
A clear explanation of what clinical supervision looks like in practice, and why it's the core trust promise behind our placements.
A parent's guide to the first consultation call
What to expect from an initial consultation call, and how to prepare so it's genuinely useful.
Does Daman, Nextcare or Neuron cover ABA and speech therapy in the UAE?
A plain-English guide to how UAE health insurers and claims administrators like Daman, Nextcare and Neuron actually decide what's covered for autism and other therapies — and what to check before you book.
What an IEP actually is — and how it works in a KHDA-regulated Dubai school
A plain-English guide to Individual Education Plans and how they function in practice in KHDA-regulated Dubai schools.
Selective mutism in young children — and why it isn't shyness
What selective mutism actually is, how it differs from ordinary shyness, and practical ways to help at home and with school.
Moving from nursery to KG with additional needs — a transition checklist
A practical checklist for moving a child with additional needs from nursery to KG as smoothly as possible.
Supporting siblings when one child has additional needs
Why siblings' experience matters when one child in the family has additional needs, and practical ways to support everyone.
How to prepare for your child's IEP meeting: a practical checklist
What to bring, what to ask, and how to make sure your child's IEP goals are specific enough to actually track.
KHDA's shadow teacher policy: what Dubai parents need to know
What KHDA actually requires of Dubai private schools before they ask a family to fund a shadow teacher, and the questions worth asking.
Class teacher vs shadow teacher: who does what in an inclusive classroom?
A practical breakdown of who plans, who adapts, and who communicates with parents when a child has one-to-one classroom support.
When should a child see a developmental paediatrician? A parent's guide
What a developmental paediatrician actually does, when a referral makes sense, and why you don't need to wait for the appointment to start support.
Toe walking in toddlers: when it's nothing, and when it's worth checking
How to tell ordinary toddler toe walking from a pattern worth an OT or paediatric assessment.
How to choose an inclusive school in Dubai: what actually matters beyond KHDA ratings
A practical guide to evaluating inclusive schools in Dubai beyond the KHDA inspection rating, covering school types, real questions to ask, and cost.
British SEN Code of Practice vs American IEP: a guide for expat parents moving to the UAE
How the UK's SEN Code of Practice and the US IEP system differ, and what UAE-bound expat parents should know before assuming either one transfers.
Class teacher vs SENCO vs shadow teacher: who does what at school
A role-by-role guide to who does what at school — class teacher, SENCO and shadow teacher — with a close look at what the SENCO actually does day to day.
Vocational training and transition planning for SEN teens in the UAE
What transition planning looks like for teenagers with additional needs in the UAE, from life-skills groundwork to the practical steps worth starting early.
Co-parenting a child with additional needs after separation or divorce
Practical ways separated or divorced parents can stay consistent and coordinated around a child's therapy, school, and daily routine.
What is a SEN governess, and does your child need one?
The role behind the job title — what a SEN governess does, how it differs from childcare, and the children it actually suits.
SEN governess, nanny, shadow teacher or tutor: which one do you actually need?
Four roles families are routinely told are the same thing, what each is trained to do, and how to tell which your child needs.
What does a SEN governess cost in Dubai?
What drives the price of one-to-one home support in the UAE, the two ways families arrange it, and what each one actually buys.
How to hire a SEN governess in the UAE: the checklist
References, trials, contracts and the questions that separate a good placement from an expensive one — the process we would use ourselves.
A day in the life of a SEN governess
An hour-by-hour picture of what one-to-one home support actually looks like, and what should be written down by the end of it.
SEN governess: agency or private hire?
What an agency should actually do for its fee, what you take on by hiring privately, and how to tell a real agency from a finder's fee.
What qualifications should a SEN governess have?
The training, credentials and experience that matter for one-to-one home support — and the ones that look good on a CV and tell you little.
15 questions to ask a SEN governess at interview
Questions that reveal method and judgement rather than warmth, with what a good answer sounds like.
Finding a SEN governess in Abu Dhabi
How one-to-one home support works for families in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and what is different from Dubai.
Taking a SEN governess on holiday: planning the summer
How to keep your child's routine going over the summer with a SEN governess: when to book, what to brief, and what to agree in writing before you travel.
SEN governess or ABA therapist: which does my child need?
What an ABA therapist does, what a SEN governess does, when a child needs one, the other or both, and how the two should work together day to day.
Home education for a child with SEN in the UAE: where to start
Home education or a reduced timetable for a child with SEN in the UAE: the questions to settle first, the rules to check, and where a governess fits.
A SEN governess for a child with Down syndrome: what helps at home
What good one-to-one home support looks like for a child with Down syndrome: communication, motor skills, learning, independence and the plan behind it.
A SEN governess for a child with speech delay or language disorder
How a SEN governess carries a speech therapist's targets into the day for a child with speech delay or DLD, and why matching the home language matters.
The first month with a SEN governess: what to expect, week by week
Week by week through the first month of a SEN governess placement: the briefing, settling in, building the routine and the first review of the plan.
SEN governess and school: how to make them work together
How a SEN governess and your child's school can coordinate on homework, the SENCO, shared targets and school-plus-home support, with the school's agreement.
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