Dyslexia Association of Singapore: a parent's guide
The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) is the established institution for dyslexia support in Singapore: a social service agency running literacy, maths, speech and study-skills programmes for thousands of students across the island. This guide explains what DAS does, who its programmes serve, and how families engage it. Then, for parents weighing their options, it explains what Flourishing Kids offers alongside DAS as one-to-one online dyslexia intervention.
What is the Dyslexia Association of Singapore?
Registered in 1991, DAS is a social service agency with around 300 full-time and part-time staff. It serves students who learn differently, including dyslexia and other specific learning differences, as well as struggling learners without a formal diagnosis, from preschool through to adulthood.
What programmes does DAS run?
The Main Literacy Programme (MLP). DAS's flagship, aided by Singapore's Ministry of Education: over 3,000 students across 13 centres, taught in small groups by more than 240 Educational Therapists who each hold a Specialist Diploma in Special Education. It covers reading fluency, comprehension, spelling and writing for Primary 1 through Secondary 5.
Beyond literacy. DAS runs a wide programme catalogue: a preschool programme, a Chinese programme, maths, speech-language therapy, speech and drama, English exam skills, study-skills programmes (iReaCH and iStudySmart), and specialist teaching from preschool to adult.
Assessments. DAS's SpLD Assessment Services cover dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and school readiness. Students joining programmes without a diagnosis complete a profiling test for placement.
How do families engage DAS?
Through its centres, in small-group classes. The MOE subsidy applies to Singapore citizens with a dyslexia diagnosis attending qualifying mainstream schools, and DAS offers financial assistance beyond it; individual programme fees are published on its site. Parents follow progress through a parents portal, orientation sessions and seminars.
What does Flourishing Kids offer alongside this?
The same conviction, in a different form: children who learn differently need teaching that is structured and specialist-delivered, not generic tuition.
One-to-one, not small group. Every session is your child and the specialist, with the lesson built from what the previous session showed. Every session is taught personally by Dr. V.S. Gayathri, a Certified Dyslexia Therapist, Orton-Gillingham trained, with 4,000+ hours of one-to-one intervention; she trained in Sounds in Syllables, a multisensory structured language therapy programme accredited at the Therapy level by IMSLEC.
The whole child. Her counselling background (M.Sc. in Counselling and Psychotherapy) shapes how sessions handle the anxiety, avoidance and bruised confidence that years of struggling with print leave behind.
Online, portable, timezone-friendly. No commute across the island after school, and the programme moves with your family if you relocate. Sessions of 45 to 60 minutes run two to three times a week, paced by your child's mastery, scheduled around Singapore time.
The first step is the Reading & Spelling Snapshot, an informal reading and spelling assessment conducted online: USD 100 for families outside India, Rs 2,500 for families in India. Or start with a free 15-minute conversation with Dr. Gayathri.
Common questions
Is Flourishing Kids affiliated with the Dyslexia Association of Singapore?
No. Flourishing Kids is an independent practice founded by Dr. V.S. Gayathri, a Certified Dyslexia Therapist, Orton-Gillingham trained. DAS is a Singapore social service agency; Flourishing Kids is a one-specialist online practice serving families in Singapore and six other countries.
Can my child in Singapore learn with Flourishing Kids?
Yes. Sessions are online, one-to-one, and scheduled around Singapore time; families in Singapore already learn with Flourishing Kids every week, and some of their stories are on the testimonials page. Your child needs a laptop or tablet, a quiet room, and a stable internet connection.
What if we are not eligible for the MOE-aided programme?
The MOE subsidy for the DAS Main Literacy Programme applies to Singapore citizens with a dyslexia diagnosis in qualifying mainstream schools, per DAS materials; DAS also offers financial assistance and unaided programmes. Families outside that pathway, including many expat families, often weigh private options too, which is where one-to-one online intervention fits.
We are moving away from Singapore. What happens to the support?
That is one of the strongest reasons families choose online intervention. Centre-based support ends at the border; an online programme moves with you. Your child keeps the same specialist, the same programme and the same routine, whichever country comes next.
Weighing up dyslexia support in Singapore?
A free 15-minute conversation with Dr. Gayathri is an honest place to start, whichever path you choose.