Speech Sound Disorder Therapy in Dubai

Most children make some speech errors as they learn to talk. When those errors continue beyond the expected age, or make a child hard to understand, a speech sound disorder may be the reason. At ABLE UK, our speech-language pathologists assess and treat articulation and phonological difficulties in children across Dubai, in English, Arabic or both, at our Dubai Healthcare City and JLT clinics.

What is a speech sound disorder?

Speech sound disorder is an umbrella term for difficulties producing the sounds of a language. It usually falls into two broad groups, and many children have features of both:

Articulation difficulties: trouble making a particular sound with the lips, tongue and jaw, such as a lisp on S, or replacing R with W. These are motor-based errors on specific sounds.
Phonological difficulties: predictable patterns that simplify speech, such as saying “tat” for “cat”, “poon” for “spoon” or “do” for “go”. The child can often make the sound, but has not yet learned the rules for when to use it.

Speech sound disorders are different from Childhood Apraxia of Speech, where errors are usually inconsistent because the difficulty lies in planning speech movements. Part of our assessment is telling these apart, because they need different therapy.

Signs of a speech sound disorder

By age three, family members still find your child hard to understand much of the time
By age four, unfamiliar people find your child hard to understand
Sounds are consistently left out, swapped or distorted beyond the age at which most children master them
Persistent difficulty with later sounds such as R, S, L, SH, CH or TH by school age
A lisp, or air escaping from the sides of the mouth on S and Z
Your child is frustrated, avoids talking or is being teased about their speech

Children learn sounds at different ages, and a few errors in a young child are expected. If you are unsure, our guide to when to start speech therapy explains typical timelines, and a consultation can give you a clear answer.

How we assess speech sounds

Assessment starts with a parent consultation and a review of your child’s development, hearing history and home languages. The speech assessment then usually includes a standardised articulation and phonology test, a sample of everyday speech, an oral structure and function check, and a look at how well your child can hear the difference between sounds. For bilingual children we consider both languages, because sound systems differ between Arabic and English and an apparent error in one language may be a normal feature of the other.

How we treat speech sound disorders

Therapy is matched to the type of difficulty and delivered through play and activities your child enjoys.

Articulation therapy

For specific sound errors, the therapist teaches correct placement of the lips, tongue and jaw, then builds the sound up from syllables to words, phrases and conversation. Visual, tactile and auditory cues are used, including PROMPT touch cues where helpful.

Phonological approaches

For pattern-based errors, therapy helps children understand that changing a sound changes meaning, for example through contrast work with word pairs such as “key” and “tea”. Targets are chosen to have the widest possible effect on intelligibility.

Oral placement and myofunctional support

Some persistent errors, particularly on S, SH and R or a lateral lisp, are linked to tongue position, jaw stability or habits such as thumb sucking or mouth breathing. Our therapists screen for these and, where relevant, include oral placement therapy or myofunctional therapy so the physical foundation for the sound is in place. Read more about myofunctional therapy and articulation.

Practice at home and school

New sounds need regular practice to become automatic. We give you short, specific home activities and, with your consent, can share strategies with your child’s teacher.

How long does therapy take?

It depends on the number of sounds or patterns involved, your child’s age, any related difficulties and how often practice happens between sessions. A child with a single sound error may need a relatively short block of therapy, while a child with several phonological patterns usually needs longer. We set goals with you and review progress every three months.

Bilingual speech sound therapy

Arabic and English use different sounds. Arabic includes sounds made further back in the mouth that English does not have, while English sounds such as P and V are not part of standard Arabic. Our bilingual speech-language pathologists take this into account, so therapy targets genuine difficulties rather than normal differences between languages.

Speech sound therapy at DHCC and JLT

ABLE UK has supported families in Dubai since 2014, building on 25 years of UK clinical heritage, and is DHA-licensed and DHCC-credentialed. Speech therapy is available at both our clinics:

Dubai Healthcare City: 2nd Floor, Building 33, convenient for Bur Dubai, Oud Metha, Downtown and DIFC
JLT: Office 1605, 16th Floor, Fortune Executive Tower, Cluster T, DMCC, convenient for Dubai Marina, JBR, TECOM and Al Barsha

Frequently asked questions about speech sound disorders

What is the difference between articulation and phonological disorders?

An articulation disorder is difficulty physically producing a specific sound, such as a lisp on S. A phonological disorder involves predictable patterns that simplify speech, such as replacing all K sounds with T. Many children have features of both, and an assessment identifies which approach will help most.

At what age should children say all their sounds clearly?

Children master sounds gradually. Most are easy to understand by around age four, but some sounds, such as R, TH and some S blends, may not be fully accurate until around age six or seven. Persistent errors beyond the expected age, or speech that is hard to understand, are worth assessing.

Will my child grow out of a lisp?

Some young children’s lisps resolve as they develop, but a lisp that continues past around age five, or a lateral lisp where air escapes from the side of the mouth, is less likely to resolve without therapy. A speech-language pathologist can advise after assessment.

Can thumb sucking or a dummy affect speech?

Long-term thumb sucking or dummy use can affect tongue position and the way the teeth and jaw develop, which can contribute to some speech sound errors. Our therapists screen for oral habits and can include oral placement or myofunctional therapy where it is relevant.

Is it a speech sound disorder or apraxia of speech?

In a speech sound disorder, errors are usually consistent. In Childhood Apraxia of Speech, errors are often inconsistent, vowels may be affected and speech breaks down on longer words, because the difficulty is in planning movements. A speech-language pathologist can tell these apart through assessment.

How can I help my child practise sounds at home?

Your therapist will give you a short list of target words and simple activities. Practise little and often, model the correct sound clearly in conversation rather than asking your child to repeat it, and praise effort. Five to ten minutes of regular practice is usually more useful than one long session.

Book a speech sound assessment

Talk to our speech therapy team about the sounds your child finds difficult and whether an assessment is the right next step.

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Clinically reviewed by Sruthy Sankar, Lead Speech-Language Pathologist at ABLE UK (Master of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, PROMPT Level 3, OPT Level 3 Specialist, Certified Myofunctional Therapist). Last reviewed October 2026.