Hi, I'm Lauren
I am a paediatric occupational therapist by qualification and I have been working at the DTC since 2018. The DTC holds a very special place in my heart. As someone with dyslexia and ADHD myself, I truly understand the value of specialist intervention and the importance of one safe, familiar environment where children can grow.
I founded My OT in 2018 with the aim of providing communities with a reliable network of specialist therapists passionate about helping people reach their full potential. When Jo Petty (more on Jo to come) gave me the opportunity to carry the DTC forward, I knew the two were a natural fit.
I am so grateful to have had such an incredible learning experience working alongside the extraordinary team here. My aim is simply to continue and grow the beautiful work that already exists, so that every child we support leaves feeling confident, understood, appreciated, and as though they have truly met their individual goals.
The skills and confidence children gain at the DTC are not just academic. They are life skills that equip them to tackle all avenues of life with flair, enthusiasm, and their own wonderful uniqueness.
Where we come from matters to us deeply
The Dyslexia Teaching Centre was founded in 1978 by Sister Mary John, a nun who had retired from her role as a headmistress and who was forever passionate about teaching. She trained at Barts in the then very new discipline of dyslexia therapy, and with extraordinary energy and passion she built something remarkable in the heart of Kensington.
By 1985 the centre had grown into a registered charity, with a bursary fund that ensured children who needed help could access it regardless of what their families could afford. That principle has never left us.
Jo Petty carried that work forward for decades. Jo had the most extraordinary way with children. She understood instinctively that a child who struggles in a classroom is not a child who cannot learn. They are a child who has not yet been given the right tools. Every child who came through our doors was seen, understood and given exactly what they needed. The centre grew and flourished under her care, and the team she built around her shared her belief completely.
In September 2025, Lauren was incredibly grateful to Jo for giving her the opportunity to carry the DTC forward. It was one of the greatest honours of her professional life.
Sadly, Jo passed away in February 2026. Her legacy stays with us always.
We are not here to fit children into a system. We are here to find the system that fits them. That has been true since 1978. It remains true today.
