Background

Dyslexia for Educational Consultation (DECRR) is founded and owned by Dr Aboudan, an Applied Psycholinguist who obtained her PhD from the University of Sheffield , and MA from Edinburgh University, UK. Dr Aboudan is also a Dyslexia Therapist and Trainer in Learning Difficulties, certified and licensed by Direct Learning, UK.

Dr Aboudan is dedicated to helping others realize that dyslexia is a gift and that, with the right approach, they can conquer their learning difficulties and go on to reach their fullest potential. Dr Aboudan has a keen interest in cross-linguistic studies of dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties and their manifestations in Arabic. She is a Member of the International Dyslexia Association and an Editorial Board Member of English Language Teaching, the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, ESP World, Glossa, International Journal of English Linguistics and others. Dr. Aboudan’s publications appeared in international refereed journals including Semiotica, Education for General Practice, Academic Leadership Journal, International Journals of Arts and Sciences, Glossa, and others. Her research findings were presented in international conferences at Harvard University and in the universities of London, New York, Santa Barbara, Austria, Germany, and Turkey.

Dr Aboudan’s professional distinction won her a research fellowship from the NASA division of Aberdeen University in 1997. Dr Aboudan was also the psycholinguistic evaluator of patient-doctor consultations in Scotland and the British Medical Association. Currently, Dr Aboudan is a Principal Investigator, together with the David McNeill Labs, working on a National Science Foundation grant from the USA. Dr Aboudan is also a collaborator with Professor Willibald Ruch and Dr Tracy Platt of Zurich University.

Previously a member of the judging panel of Khalifa Award, Dr Aboudan is the founder and director of Dyslexia for Educational Consultation and Reading Rehabilitation, and can be reached by e-mail at AdminSupport@UAEdyslexia.com. and by telephone on 0501394154 or 03-7089333 (secretary).

Dr Rima Aboudan serves as the Chief Executive Director at Dyslexia for Educational Consultation, Al-Ain; and leads its day-to-day business. She has over 20 years of research and academic experience with national and international universities including the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland UK, Sheffield University in England, and New York University in Abu-Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates University. Dr Aboudan is affiliated with international associations dealing with learning difficulties including the Reading Success Lab in Massachusetts USA and Direct Learning/Dyslexia Action UK; and collaborates with the British Dyslexia Association, and the International Dyslexia Association. Dr Aboudan established Dyslexia for Educational Consultation in 2011 with a mandate to launch the first specialized diagnostic and remedial multisensory linguistic intervention service for dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, and other related learning difficulties in the UAE. For almost two years, she has successfully led Dyslexia for Educational Consultation covering cognitive diagnoses of learning difficulties, screening and assessments of reading and written expression disorders, and providing holistic learning care consultations for customers with learning difficulties. Notably, she headed the team which structured and successfully placed the first speech and gesture research in the Gulf region with the McNeill Laps of Chicago University, Centre of Gesture and Speech Research. At the United Arab Emirates University, she held several senior positions including Assistant Dean of Students Affairs, and manager of the Honours Students Division. She also chaired the Student Services Division for several years. She is a Member of the British Psychological Society, the British Dyslexia Association, International Dyslexia Association, American Dyslexia Association, and serves on various editorial boards of refereed academic journals.