ABA Therapy for Communication and Social Skills in Dubai

ABA therapy for communication and social skills at ABLE UK helps children find reliable ways to be understood and to connect with the people around them, whether that is through speech, gestures, signs, pictures or a communication device. Programmes start with being understood, then build turn-taking, shared play and friendships. Sessions run at our Dubai Healthcare City and JLT clinics, in English or Arabic.

This page is part of our Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) service. It explains how communication and social skills are taught, in what order, and how progress is measured.

Communication first, then connection

Social skills sit on top of communication. A child who has no reliable way to ask for help, food or a break has little left over for turn-taking or conversation, and frustration often shows up as behaviour instead. So the first goal in most programmes is a dependable way to make requests and say no.

Once a child can be understood, everything else becomes easier to teach: waiting, responding to another person, joining a game and, in time, making friends. Our article on how ABA supports communication, social and life skills explains this sequence in more detail.

Signs your child may need support with social communication

Families often get in touch when they notice one or more of the following:

Difficulty asking for help, food or a break, or frustration when not understood
Little interest in playing alongside or with other children
Trouble waiting, taking turns or sharing attention with an adult
Talking mainly about one topic, or finding conversation hard to start or continue
Difficulty joining a group at nursery or school, or frequent falling out with peers
Understanding instructions but struggling to respond in the moment

None of these on its own means a child needs therapy. An assessment tells you which skills would make the biggest practical difference.

Areas an ABA programme can support

Requesting and expressing needs

This is often where we start, using an approach known as functional communication training. Your child learns to ask for what they want, ask for help, ask for a break and refuse something, in whatever way is quickest for them to use right now. Teaching a clear request usually reduces frustration at the same time.

Turn-taking and shared play

Turn-taking is practised inside games your child already enjoys, so waiting has an obvious payoff. From there we build shared play: following someone else’s idea, offering your own, and coping when a game does not go to plan. Skills learned one to one are then practised with siblings, parents and peers so they transfer to real life.

Friendships and peer interaction

For older children, sessions focus on starting a conversation, keeping it going, noticing how someone else is feeling, joining a group and handling disagreement. We also teach the parts of friendship that matter most: choosing who to spend time with, saying no, and asking for space. Our blog looks at how ABA encourages social interaction.

When speech is not enough yet

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) covers all the ways someone communicates besides talking, including signs, picture systems and speech-generating devices. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association addresses the common worry that AAC will stop a child talking, and explains that it can support communication rather than replace it. You can read its guide to AAC. Our ABA and speech and language therapy teams introduce AAC together where it will help.

Social skills on your child’s terms

We teach connection, not performance. Goals focus on being understood, understanding others and taking part in ways your child finds comfortable, rather than on looking a particular way while doing it. Forced eye contact and scripted politeness are not goals. For autistic children in particular, this affirming approach is explained further on our page about ABA therapy for autism.

How we build your child’s programme

Parent consultation. We ask how your child communicates now, what frustrates them and which relationships matter most.
Assessment. A behaviour analyst observes your child in play and interaction, and identifies the communication and social skills that would make the biggest difference.
Individual programme. We agree a small number of goals with you, in a sensible order, each with a clear way to measure progress.
Sessions and practice. One-to-one teaching is followed by practice with familiar people and in real situations, so skills are not limited to the therapy room.
Review and adapt. Progress is reviewed regularly, shared with you, and new goals are added as your child develops.

ABLE UK · Applied Behaviour Analysis

From first request to real friendships: how social communication is built

A reliable way to askWords, signs, pictures or a device, whichever works now
Back and forthTurn-taking, waiting, responding to others
Shared playJoining in, sharing ideas, coping when plans change
Peers and friendshipsStarting conversations, keeping them going, reading cues

Principles behind every session

Function firstBeing understood matters more than how the message is sent
Real situationsSkills are practised in play, routines and at school
Your child’s termsWe teach connection and consent, not masking

Practising with family, peers and at school

A social skill only counts when it is used outside the session. Parents and siblings are coached to prompt and reward new skills at home, and, with your consent, our team can share strategies with teachers and learning support staff so the same expectations and supports apply at school. Our article on peer interaction in group ABA explains why practising with other children matters.

How we measure progress

Communication and social goals are written so they can be observed and counted, for example how often your child requests independently, how many turns they take in a game, or how often they respond to a peer. Therapists record this during sessions, the supervising analyst reviews it, and you receive updates in plain language with examples. If a skill is not developing, we change how it is taught rather than expecting your child to try harder.

Honest answers: can social skills really be taught?

Specific skills can be taught, practised and become easier. What therapy cannot do is make a child sociable in a way that is not true to them, or guarantee friendships. Children also develop socially at different rates, and some skills only make sense at certain stages. Our aim is a child who can make themselves understood, take part when they want to, and step away when they need to.

How this differs from speech and language therapy

Speech and language therapy focuses on understanding and producing language, including speech sounds, vocabulary and sentence structure. ABA therapy focuses on how communication is used in real situations and how new skills are taught, practised and maintained. Many children benefit from both. At ABLE UK the two teams share goals, and our occupational therapists join in when sensory or regulation needs affect how a child copes in social settings. If you are looking for a formal assessment first, see our psychological evaluation service.

Your ABA team

ABA programmes at ABLE UK are delivered by an experienced team whose training includes:

Sarah Amin: MSc Applied Psychology, BCaBA, QBA, IBA, ADOS-2 certified
Ciby Koshy: IBA, QASP-S, DHA licensed, 11 years at ABLE UK
Marife Romero Parong: BA Psychology, QABA ABAT, RBT, more than 10 years at ABLE UK
Dennis Mangundayao: BSc Clinical Psychology, RBT, QABA ABAT, DIR/Floortime trained
Mervin Valmonte Javier: BSc Nursing, RBT, QASP-S

You can read more about each clinician on our team page. Children working on communication alongside a developmental delay may also find our page on ABA therapy for developmental delay useful, and for attention and impulse goals see ABA therapy for ADHD.

Communication and social skills support in Dubai Healthcare City and JLT

ABLE UK has supported children and families in Dubai since 2014, drawing on more than 25 years of clinical heritage in the UK. ABA sessions and parent coaching are available in English and Arabic at both of our clinics:

Dubai Healthcare City: 2nd Floor, Building 33, Dubai Healthcare City
Jumeirah Lake Towers: 1605, 16th Floor, Fortune Executive Tower, Cluster T, JLT

To book an initial ABA consultation, call 04 552 0351, message us on WhatsApp at +971 52 774 5062 or use our contact form.

Frequently asked questions about ABA social skills therapy

Can ABA therapy improve my child’s social skills?

Yes, ABA therapy can teach specific social skills such as turn-taking, joining a game, starting a conversation and responding to other children. Skills are taught one to one and then practised with familiar people and in real situations so they transfer to daily life.

What is functional communication training?

Functional communication training teaches a child a clear, reliable way to ask for what they need, such as help, food, attention or a break. It is often the first goal in an ABA programme because being understood reduces frustration and makes other social skills easier to learn.

Will using AAC stop my child from learning to talk?

No, research does not support the worry that using augmentative and alternative communication stops a child from talking. AAC gives a child a way to communicate now, and at ABLE UK it is introduced by the ABA and speech and language therapy teams together.

How are social skills taught in ABA therapy?

Social skills are broken into small steps, modelled and practised in play and everyday routines, with feedback and encouragement. Practice then moves to real situations with siblings, parents, peers and, with your consent, at school.

What age should social skills therapy start?

Communication goals can start as soon as a child struggles to make themselves understood, including in toddlers. Friendship and conversation goals usually suit older preschool and school-age children, and programmes are matched to your child’s stage.

How is this different from speech and language therapy?

Speech and language therapy focuses on understanding and producing language, while ABA therapy focuses on how communication is used in real situations and how skills are taught and maintained. Many children have both, and at ABLE UK the teams share goals.

Can you help with social skills at school?

Yes, with your consent our team can share practical strategies with your child’s teachers and learning support staff, so the same prompts and supports are used at school and at home.

Do you offer social skills therapy in Arabic?

Yes, ABLE UK offers ABA sessions and parent coaching in Arabic and English at our Dubai Healthcare City and JLT clinics, so your child can practise in the language they use at home.

Book an ABA consultation for communication and social skills

Talk to our ABA team about how your child communicates today and the connections you would like to see next.

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