For Lebanese Families Abroad

Lebanese Arabic Speech Therapy Online for Families in the UAE

One-to-one speech and language therapy in Lebanese Arabic, or in English, for Lebanese families in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and across the Emirates — delivered live from Beirut, in the evening after school and after work.

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The Emirates hold a large Lebanese working population, and it differs from the other markets here in one important way: many of these families intend to return to Lebanon, or at least keep the option open. That makes Arabic maintenance a practical matter rather than a sentimental one — a child who loses their Lebanese Arabic in Dubai will struggle if the family moves back. Local private therapy is available and expensive, and the therapist assigned to your child may not speak Arabic at all.

How Sessions Work From Abroad

How this fits with local services

Speech and language therapists in the UAE are licensed by DHA, DoH or MOHAP depending on the emirate, and many private packages are partially covered by health insurance. Ghinwa is licensed and practising in Lebanon, not the UAE — these sessions are private, paid directly, and cannot be claimed on UAE insurance. Families typically use them as the Lebanese Arabic component alongside English-medium local therapy, or on their own where no Arabic provision is available to them.

English-medium schooling and a Lebanese household

The great majority of expatriate children in the UAE attend English-medium international schools where Arabic is a timetabled subject rather than the language of instruction or the playground. For a Lebanese family the result is a familiar pattern: a child who understands their parents' Lebanese Arabic perfectly but answers in English, whose Arabic vocabulary stops growing around age six, and who would arrive back in Beirut at twelve unable to follow a classroom. It is very workable, but it needs deliberate, structured Arabic use rather than exposure alone.

Timing from Beirut

The UAE runs one to two hours ahead of Beirut depending on the season. A 6pm session in Dubai is a comfortable late-afternoon slot in Beirut, so after-school appointments are straightforward. Sessions run Monday to Saturday.

Paying from the UAE

Session fees can be paid by card, or through Whish Money and OMT — familiar channels for Lebanese families in the Gulf, and no different from sending money home. Fees are agreed in writing before the first session and do not change mid-plan.

Questions From Lebanese Families Abroad

Usually not a disorder — but it's worth addressing. A child who understands but won't produce has receptive skills well ahead of expressive ones, typically because almost all their output happens in English at school. This isn't something they grow out of; without structured Arabic use, expressive Arabic keeps narrowing. It responds well to therapy focused on production rather than comprehension. An assessment tells you whether it's language attrition, a genuine expressive delay, or both.

It changes it considerably, and tell us early if it's on the table. A child returning to Lebanese schooling needs academic Arabic — reading and writing, not just conversation — and that takes longer to build than spoken fluency. Starting two years before a move is very different from starting two months before, and the goals we set look different in each case.

Does bilingualism cause speech delay? Read the article FAQ

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Lebanese Arabic Therapy, Wherever You Live

Send a WhatsApp message with your child's age, the languages spoken at home, and your time zone. You'll get a straight answer about whether online sessions fit your situation — and an honest one if they don't.

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