What a session costs in the UAE
Private paediatric speech therapy and occupational therapy in the UAE typically run AED 250-600 per session, roughly USD 68-163, varying by emirate, clinic size, and therapist seniority. Package pricing (10-20 sessions) can bring the per-session cost down to the AED 200-400 range at some providers. Initial assessments are usually billed separately from the package rate.
The detail many families don't realise until they're deep into a therapy journey: many UAE insurance policies pool speech therapy and occupational therapy against one shared "rehabilitation" or "allied health" annual limit rather than funding each separately. If a plan allows AED 8,000 a year for rehabilitation, every speech and OT session draws from that same pool, so a child receiving both burns through the annual limit roughly twice as fast as a family budgeting for just one therapy type would expect.
What the same session costs in Delhi NCR
A comparable speech-therapy or OT session in Delhi NCR runs roughly USD 8-18, a fraction of the UAE private rate. That gap is what makes a concentrated therapy trip financially viable even after adding flights and accommodation: a 2-week intensive block in Delhi NCR, covering daily multidisciplinary sessions, runs around USD 4,800-6,800 all in, an amount that might cover only a few months of twice-weekly UAE sessions once insurance limits are exhausted.
What travel actually adds to the equation
Dubai to Delhi is a direct flight of roughly 3 hours 25 minutes to 3 hours 50 minutes, with more than 100 flights a week between the two cities across several airlines. Abu Dhabi to Delhi runs slightly longer, around 3 hours 35 minutes to 4 hours 5 minutes, with several daily non-stop options. For most UAE families, this is one of the shortest international routes available for a therapy trip, short enough to be manageable even with a child who finds travel difficult, and frequent enough that flight availability rarely constrains trip timing.
Add flights, a short-term apartment or hotel, and daily logistics, and a 2-week Delhi NCR trip still typically costs less than the UAE-only cost of the same volume of sessions once insurance caps are hit, especially for families needing more than one therapy discipline.
What UAE families should ask before comparing on price alone
Cost is one factor, not the only one. Ask what your current UAE insurance actually covers this year, not last year, since annual limits reset and plans change. Ask whether a Delhi NCR package includes the disciplines your child actually needs, not just the cheapest combination. And ask what documentation you'll receive to share with your UAE-based therapists or paediatrician afterward, since continuity of care matters more than the trip itself.
Non-cost factors that matter just as much
A shorter, well-planned trip with clear documentation and a workable home carryover plan tends to be worth more than a longer or cheaper one without those things. Consider your child's travel tolerance, the school calendar, and whether a 2-week or 4-week block realistically fits your family's schedule. A trip that's rushed or poorly timed around your child's routine can undercut the value of even a well-designed programme.
Making the decision
The honest case for choosing India over continuing UAE-based care isn't "India is cheap." It's that a concentrated, multidisciplinary block can deliver more therapy hours, more coordination between disciplines, and more documentation than the same budget buys in fragmented UAE sessions across a year, especially once insurance limits are factored in. For families who need ongoing, low-intensity local support, UAE-based care may remain the better fit. For families needing an intensive push, particularly across multiple disciplines, the arithmetic usually favours a planned trip.
