Empowering Families, Inspiring Young Readers.
Welcome to Dyslexia Barcelona
Our team is dedicated to helping children and young people discover their strengths and flourish as learners.
Based in Barcelona, we offer psycho-educational assessments, evidence-based interventions, and tailored training for families, educators, and schools.
Our work brings together expertise in psychology, neuropsychology, and specialist teaching to provide clear insights, practical strategies, and meaningful support.
We work closely with parents, teachers, and schools to provide the understanding and tools needed to support every child.
Meet the Team
Fiona Higgins
Fiona is a certified Dyslexia Specialist and Assessor with the British Dyslexia Association. She is also an Associate Member of the Orton Gillingham Academy and a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist through the Centre for Effective Reading, International Dyslexia Association.
Meritxell Alquezar
Meritxell is the Founder and Director of the CUIDA Centre in Barcelona. A trilingual child neuropsychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology, she has received extensive training in both the US and Spain and actively collaborates with international and local schools throughout Spain.
❊ Dyslexia Barcelona
What do we offer?
Psycho-educational assessments
We offer comprehensive psycho-educational assessment to identify specific learning difficulties and provide clarity around their learning needs. Each assessment includes standardised testing, a detailed written report, and a feedback session to explain the results and recommendations. Our goal is to help families and educators better understand how to support the learner with practical, individualised strategies.
Family Support
We provide compassionate, practical support for families navigating the challenges of learning differences especially within international and multilingual contexts. Whether you're seeking guidance after a diagnosis, unsure how to work with your child's school, or looking for strategies to support learning at home, we're here to help. Through consultations, resources, and ongoing communication, we empower families to feel confident, informed, and supported every step of the way.
Dyslexia Intervention
Our dyslexia intervention uses the proven Orton-Gillingham approach, an evidence-based, multi-sensory method that helps learners build strong reading, spelling, and writing skills. Tailored to each child’s unique needs, sessions focus on structured, hands-on learning to boost confidence and independence. We work closely with families and educators to reinforce progress both at home and in school.
Our Mission
At Dyslexia Barcelona, our mission is to support and empower children, families, and educators navigating the challenges of dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, particularly within international and multilingual communities. We are dedicated to providing high-quality diagnostic assessments, evidence-based intervention, and tailored training that fosters understanding, confidence, and lasting progress.
❊ Testimonials
Trusted by Parents.
Seriously! But don’t take our word for it, here are some things people have to say about us.
We were feeling lost and overwhelmed trying to understand our child’s learning challenges, especially while living abroad. Working with Fiona and Meritxell was a turning point. The assessment was thorough, professional, and conducted with such warmth and care that our child felt completely at ease. They explained the results clearly and helped us truly understand our child’s learning profile for the first time.
Fiona and Meritxell’s guidance has been invaluable, not just as a specialists, but as professionals who truly understands the complexities of international family life. We’re so grateful for their expertise and support."
— Isla L., Parent
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Finding Meritxell and Fiona was a huge relief for our family. As parents living abroad, we were struggling to understand why our son was falling behind in school, and we didn’t know where to turn. Meritxell and Fiona carried out a full assessment with great care, professionalism, and sensitivity. They took the time to explain everything clearly and answered all of our questions with patience and empathy.
Meritxell’s and Fiona’s support has been a game changer for our family, helping us feel confident and informed in a system that was once so confusing. We can’t recommend them both enough."
— Paula R., Parent
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When we first reached out to Fiona, we were feeling unsure and anxious about our daughter’s struggles with reading. As an international family, we weren’t familiar with the local system or how to access the right support. From the very first conversation, Fiona put us at ease. The assessment process with both Fiona and Meritxell was thorough, insightful, and handled with such kindness that our daughter felt comfortable and understood.
Fiona and Meritxell’s expertise and support have made a world of difference to our family."
— Ashley W.M, Parent
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❊ FAQs
You’ve got questions,
we’ve got answers
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A psycho-educational assessment is a comprehensive evaluation that looks at how a child learns, thinks, and processes information. It assesses cognitive abilities (like memory, attention, and problem-solving) as well as academic skills such as reading, writing, spelling, and math. The assessment helps identify a child’s strengths and areas where they may need extra support, providing clear guidance and practical strategies for parents, teachers, and schools to help the child thrive.
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Assessments can be conducted from age 7, once children have had some exposure to reading and writing instruction. However, signs of learning difficulties can appear earlier, and informal screening or early support can still be helpful before this age.
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The full assessment usually takes 3–4 hours and is split into two sessions: one with our child neuropsychologist and one with our dyslexia assessor.
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Yes, we offer online intervention sessions that are tailored to each learner and focus on building reading, spelling, and writing skills through structured, multi-sensory methods. Our sessions are based on the Orton Gillingham approach.
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Absolutely. Our team is multilingual and we have extensive experience working with bilingual and multilingual children. Assessments and interventions take into account the child's language background and are adapted to meet their unique needs.
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We understand the challenges of navigating education systems in a different country, especially when your child is struggling. We offer clear, compassionate guidance, help families communicate with schools, and provide practical support that works across cultures and curricula.