JESS
Jumeirah Speech and Language Therapy Service
Our Vision
Educating to Make a Difference in the World
Our Mission
Discovering the brilliance in every individual. Building community through respect and a sense of belonging.
Empowering people to act with purpose.
Speech and Language Therapy Services (SaLT)
My name is Thasbih Amin, and I am delighted to be part of the JESS community Born and raised in Dubai, I’ve been a therapist for 13 years, and a mum of a daughter in Key Stage 2 at JESS. I have a passion for child development and a good book! I love sketching and like to think I bring this creative flair into my therapy sessions
My areas of specialism include developmental social communication challenges, Autism Spectrum (ASD), articulation, motor speech disorders (apraxia), auditory processing, stuttering, and literacy difficulties associated with oral language development.
Having recently completed a Masters in Speech Difficulties, primarily focusing on developmental speech delays and literacy difficulties, I have a keen interest in the relationship between speech, language and literacy development, and take a holistic approach to therapy to enhance participation and progress across the curriculum. Having worked with several Dubai schools as an outreach therapist over the years, I am excited to be joining the JESS Inclusion team as an integrated in-house therapist.
Mrs Thasbih Amin
Speech and Language Therapist tamin@jess.sch.ae
Thasbih is an outstanding therapist and an incredible human being. She is warm, kind, empathetic, knowledgeable, skillful, and has a natural way of connecting with both children and adults
She believes deeply in developing the potential of every child She will be a big asset to the JESS community.
~ JESS Jumeirah Parent Testimonial
What is SaLT?
The ability to master communication is at the heart of every child’s successful school experience and can influence their personal and professional success in later life.
For example:
vocabulary size in early childhood is a strong predictor of later academic success. students with speech sound errors persisting beyond the age of 5 are at greater risk for literacy challenges in Key Stage 1 and beyond there is a strong correlation between positive social interactions and wellbeing. The role of a school-based Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) is to identify and support speech, language and communication needs as early as possible, in order to minimise any cascading effect on literacy, learning, or social-emotional wellbeing.
Children who have difficulties with any of the following may be candidates for SaLT:
Speech sound articulation
Stuttering, breath support, and voice
Understanding instructions, questions, topic vocabulary, and ‘big ideas’ Expressing their ideas in an age-appropriate way, both orally and in writing
Cognitive communication, such as imagination, organisation, problem solving
Play and social skill development
SaLT sessions are designed to be interactive, engaging and fun for the child, using developmentally appropriate, functional, and meaningful activities Sessions are usually 45minutes in length and would either be one-on-one or as part of a small group of up to 4 children, depending on the specific need of the children
What do we offer?
In Dubai, students traditionally access Speech and Language Therapy services through clinicbased sessions or school outreach providers. By bringing the SaLT service in-house at JESS, we aim to provide highly effective, cohesive, student- centered support through the Standard and Supplementary Service channels.
Early identification -initial screenings and observations
Progress updates for therapy clientswritten reports, therapy updates, parent-teacher meetings
Standard School Service (included in regular school fees)
Support for teachers - classroom consultations, teacher training and guidance, and contribution to IEP target setting
Support for parents -parental coaching, at home support ideas
Initial assessment
690dhs (including VAT)
Includes analysis, summary report, and feedback
Supplementary Services (paid)
Individual Therapy 340dhs (including VAT) 45mins
Blocks of 10
Group Therapy
212dhs per person (including VAT)
Group size of 2-4 students 45mins
Blocks of 10
Individual Service Agreement (registered with KHDA)
SaLT Services
Standard & Supplementary SaLT Service
The Standard SaLT service is available for all children and is included as a part of school fees This will comprise of in-classroom support for teachers and students as well as well as preventative and promotive developmental strategies for families.
The Supplementary (paid) service is available for specific children and will either consist of small group or one-to-one Speech and Language Therapy sessions.
Free Screening Service
Free of charge, informal school screenings are offered at JESS, if you or your child’s teacher feels that SaLT may be beneficial This would consist of the therapist observing your child for 15-20 minutes, in the classroom or during an individual activity. This aims to give an initial insight into whether further SaLT evaluation is recommended or if another specialist would be better suited. Parents and teachers will receive brief, informal feedback following this free screening.
School-based assessment
If a detailed SaLT assessment is recommended for your child, this would likely be done over 2x 45minute sessions SaLT assessments involve standardised evaluations which measure your child’s speech, language, communication and/or literacy skills based on their age
These allow the therapist to measure both your child’s strengths and areas for development in order to formulate specific therapy goals
“Therapy without effective assessment is like taking to the road without a map”
Following the assessment, you will receive a written summary and verbal feedback, including recommendations for both home and in the classroom It is recommended that children receiving SaLT are re-evaluated as part of ongoing therapy, to ensure that their therapy remains highly personalised, effective, and evidence based
“Team Around the Child” Approach
The SaLT is a fully integrated member of the Oasis team at JESS Therapy goals and strategies are informed by the school’s team around the child, including the parent as well as the child themselves Goals are updated termly and progress meetings are available in line with the parent-teacher meeting schedules, or as your child completes a ‘block’ of therapy.
Regular session feedback is shared with both you as a parent as well as with the child’s teachers and any staff that support your child. Seesaw updates will be sent to the team around your child, as a window into the tools and strategies that worked well within the sessions.
These updates will give an insight into what can be followed up at home as well as what support strategies can be carried out in the classroom.
“Collaborative communication and carryover of therapy goals into the home and classroom setting is invaluable to each child’s progress”
Guided by our values
