Where To Get Help For Dyslexia in Singapore (2024)

As a parent, it can be overwhelming to know that your child has dyslexia.

“How can my child cope in school?”
“What can I do to support my child at home?”
“Will my child ever be normal?”
“Can dyslexia be cured?”

These questions and more will inevitably pop up, and yes, it will seem frustrating at first. You will likely not know much about dyslexia. Chances are, you will worry about your child’s ability to cope in school.

All these fears and concerns are perfectly rational. They are entirely understandable.

However, know this: neither you nor your child is alone in this journey. Your child can improve over time, and your child is most definitely normal. He/she simply deals with linguistics differently compared to neurotypical children.

That being said, it is still important to get a diagnosis for your child, as well as to seek out intervention.

Dyslexia intervention: why it is important, and where to get help

It may be tempting to shrug your shoulders and say, “Well given enough time, my child can overcome it.”

The problem is, not all dyslexics can beat dyslexia by themselves. If a child can’t figure out where they’re going wrong, it will hurt their self-confidence. Worse still, they may just conclude that they’re stupid (when they’re actually not). Sending them for regular tuition also won’t help, and may instead make things worse!

This is why it’s important to get the right people to help. Thankfully, there are a number of reliable specialist tutors, therapists, and organisations in Singapore that provide quality intervention services. We strongly recommend the following places:

The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS)

The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) is the biggest dyslexia organisation in Singapore, and also has the widest range of services to help students with dyslexia and language-related impairments. The Ministry of Education subsidises many of the DAS’s services, making them very affordable.

Services provided: Educational therapy, speech therapy, specialist tutoring, exam skills training, psychological assessments, Speech & Drama Arts, and Math, Chinese, and Science programmes.

Update: I’ve had a lot of parents ask me about the DAS and dyslexic secondary school students. Yes, the DAS does help secondary school students. In fact, they have a programme called iStudySmart for students in institutes of higher learning (e.g., ITE, polytechnics, etc).

Swords & Stationery

If you’ve searched for “dyslexia tutor singapore” or something similar, you would have realised just how many dyslexia therapy programmes there are in Singapore.

Well, one of them… is Swords & Stationery.

What the Swords & Stationery programme does

I started Swords & Stationery to help older dyslexic students do well academically while finding joy in learning the subject. It’s an effective and appealing approach that combines academics, games and digital presentations. It’s also very flexible, covering all subjects and topics that are English-based.

Reading comprehension? Check.

Narrative writing? Check.

Expository writing? Synthesis & Transformation? Grammar Cloze?

Check, check, and check..

Through classes at S&S, most of my students have overcome dyslexia’s challenges. Today, many of them are doing really well in school. Some are even self-motivated to read and write on their own!

Supporting parents and caregivers

I also believe in helping parents to support their children at home. Whether or not your child is a student of S&S, you’ll get access to helpful tips, strategies and resources on dyslexia. In fact, many resources were created and uploaded at the request of parents. Some of our more popular resources include:

Basic Phonograms – Picture Matching
Orton-Gillingham Flash Cards for Basic Phonograms (a-z)
Sample Introductions for Primary School-Level Compositions

A large spectrum of affordable services

Finally, we’ve also partnered up with Trinity Consultancy & Practice, The Gifted Lab and freelance special needs tutors to provide the best and widest range of services, from psychological assessments to occupational therapy, at the most affordable rates.

Speaking of affordable, did I also mention consultation is free? As in, it costs next to nothing to drop us a message and ask for advice?

So, if you’d like to find out more about Swords & Stationery’s services…

Drop us a text message with no obligations, and we’ll get back to you within 3 working days. The journey isn’t easy, but you don’t have to take it alone.

Services provided: Game-based educational therapy (primary and secondary school levels), specialist tutoring.

Address:
One Pemimpin, 1 Pemimpin Drive
#12-03
Singapore 576151

Mind.Space

Mind.Space was established by Sharon and Serena, a speech therapist and a child psychologist respectively. Both have a combined experience of over 15 years working in the special educational needs industry.

Mind.Space comes highly recommended as I’ve worked closely with Sharon before. Thanks to her, many of my students have learned to overcome their speech impediments. She is also a trained counsellor who has helped many youths before.

Sharon and Serena are very warm people, so it’s worth dropping them a message even if it’s just for a simple question.

Services provided: Psychological assessment, speech therapy, educational therapy.

Address:
275 Thomson Road
#01-24
Novena Regency
Singapore 307645

Joyeux

Back in 2022, I had the pleasure of meeting Carol and Elaine, the two founders of Joyeux. They are very passionate about helping younger students with learning challenges, including those with dyslexia and ASD. Carol herself has over ten years of experience in helping students with learning difficulties. She is also trained to help children in areas like handwriting and behaviour.

Joyeux has no fixed address for now as Carol typically travels to students’ houses to conduct home-based therapy sessions.

Services provided: Educational therapy.

WhatsApp:
+65 8600 6015

The Oak Planters

The Oak Planters was set up by Teacher Wei Teng, who has had a lot of experience teaching students of all ages. Wei Teng previously worked at the DAS for 7 years, then went on to work at Northlight School for another 10. On top of that, she has received numerous accolades, including the “Caring Teachers Award” by NIE/NTU in 2022.

Services provided: Educational therapy.

WhatsApp:
+65 6926 3344

Accretive Learning

In 2022, two close associates of ours (Dawn and Eugene) set up Accretive Learning Therapy Centre, an educational therapy centre that helps students with different learning challenges, including those with Mild Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dawn and Eugene each have over 10 years of experience, and have helped countless dyslexic students. They are also equipped to help students with dyscalculia and those struggling to understand basic numeracy.

Services provided: Educational therapy.

Address:
191A Upper Thomson Rd
Yew Lian Park
Singapore 574337

Epworth Community Services

Epworth is a social enterprise that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This also extends to students who are struggling with literacy. It may be worth looking at as an alternative to the Dyslexia Association of Singapore, especially if you are looking for an affordable intervention programme.

Services provided: Educational therapy, family welfare, student care, foster care.

Address:
106 Bukit Batok Central
Block 106
Singapore 650106

Singapore Dyslexia Intervention Services

SDIS uses the Davis Dyslexia method to support struggling readers and writers. It was founded by Christina Tan, a trained Davis Dyslexia facilitator. Christina is also a parent of a child with dyslexia.

I interviewed Christina several years ago before she had set up Singapore Dyslexia Intervention Services. We spoke at length about the journey she had undertaken to help her daughter overcome dyslexia. It is an inspiring read, so go check it out!

Services provided: Davis Dyslexia programme.

Address:
1, #02-44 Kaki Bukit Rd 1
Singapore 415934

MOE’s Dyslexia Remediation Programmes

All MOE primary schools in Singapore now have two programmes to support students with dyslexia.

• For Primary 1 and 2 students, there is the Learning Support Programme (LSP) which focuses on basic literacy.
• Primary 3 and 4 students can join the School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) programme to further work on their literacy skills.

These classes are typically conducted by educators who have been trained by the DAS Academy or similar institutions. To enrol your child in the LSP or the SDR programme, talk to his or her form teacher about it.

At the time of this writing, there are no similar programmes to support students in Primary 5, 6, and secondary school. For this, you will have to approach private therapists and organisations like Swords & Stationery and the DAS.

Other avenues of support

The dyslexic journey can be rough. Even with intervention, it can be overwhelming. Use the following as a guide, should you require further emotional support, knowledge and resources on dyslexia. Remember, you and your child are not alone!

Parent Support Groups

Parent-Support Groups (PSGs) are a great way to learn about dyslexia and how it can impact our children. They provide an avenue for mutual support, and for sharing personal experiences and resources.

Here is a list of the most notable PSGs in Singapore:

• Dyslexia Support Singapore: A support group on Facebook for Singaporean parents. It has a small but active community.
• Dyslexia Group. Increase Awareness and Understanding: One of the largest international support groups on Facebook where questions and stories are posted daily.
• Dyslexia Support- For Parents of Teens: An international support group on Facebook for parents of dyslexic teens.
• DAS Parent-Support Group (Facebook): The official Parent-Support Group of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.
• KiasuParents: While not exactly a PSG, KiasuParents has a sub-forum dedicated to discussing special needs, with a dedicated thread for dyslexia.

Remember, neither you nor your child is alone in this journey. There are communities out there that can help and guide you.

Books on dyslexia

There are many books out there that discuss dyslexia, and sometimes it can be hard to decide which to get. If you need ideas, have a look at these two book lists by the University of Michigan and Homeschooling With Dyslexia.

Need something more specific? From those two lists, The Dyslexic Advantage and The Fluent Reader often come highly recommended. The Dyslexic Advantage is well-known for providing fresh, scientific angles to look at dyslexia. The Fluent Reader provides solid strategies to help your child with his/her reading.

Outside of the lists, I would also highly recommend The Gift of Dyslexia and The Gift of Learning. Written by Ron Davis (creator of the Davis Dyslexia method), both are good reads and offer an interesting take on the dyslexia spectrum, as well as other learning difficulties such as ADHD and ASD.

Educational and assistive technology

Thanks to educational technology, kids with dyslexia can be taught in ways that are fun, engaging, and effective. Nessy is one of the most popular companies that develops apps for such a purpose. These apps range from games that help dyslexics to learn the basics of phonics, to touch typing games, to professional development training modules.

One caveat of Nessy’s apps is that they’re quite expensive. If price is an issue or if you’re just looking for a supplementary solution, there are apps and games that can provide basic remediation for dyslexia. Some strong recommendations include:

Quizlet (iOS / Android)
Lively Letters  (iOS)
L’Escapadou’s apps (iOS / Android)
LetterSchool (iOS / Android)

Games aside, you can also support your child’s learning through the use of assistive technology. Noodle.com has a great list of apps, including readers and note-taking software, to help your child with his/her schoolwork.

YouTube

While I’m sure many of you would turn to Google, YouTube also has a lot of wonderful videos that shed light on dyslexia’s different facets. One of my favourite videos is this:

Produced by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore, this video should resonate strongly with many parents of dyslexic children. In fact, you’ll find many more of such inspirational and informative videos on YouTube, including TEDx Talks and interviews with famous dyslexics like Jamie Oliver.

What else you need to know about getting help for a child with dyslexia

• To get exam accommodations (such as extra time) for your child, you’ll need a valid psychological report.
• Know that dyslexia is neither a disease nor “mental retardation”. Be patient with your child, even when they make mistakes. Remediation takes time.

Ending off with a few short stories about dyslexia

I had a student back in 2014 (whom I’d taught until 2018). She could not read two-syllable words like ‘revamp’ and ‘elect’, or she would simply take a long time to do so. In fact, there was a lot of reluctance to read. Today, she can read tough phrases like ‘a strong subscriber of religious doctrines’ and ‘morality and ethics are not independent of each other’.

Also, back in 2014, I had another student who was in the Normal Academic stream. She had struggled with dyslexia for most of her life, and had not done as well as she’d hoped for her PSLE. However, she was an ambitious young lady and had her sights set on doing the best she could. When she sat for her O Levels in 2015, not only did she qualify for some of the best JCs, but she also did better than most of her peers without dyslexia. In 2018, she was accepted into Nanyang Business School.

The moral of the two stories here? With hard work, perseverance, remediation, and support from friends and families, your child can most certainly overcome or cope with the challenges of dyslexia.

That’s what this guide is for. Help is everywhere. You and your child are not alone on this journey.

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