Orton-Gillingham based structured literacy intervention
Certified
The person behind True Dream
Kevin Sheng
Director, True Dream Coaching & Consultancy
Kevin has worked in special needs education since 2017. He is certified in Orton-Gillingham based structured literacy intervention, and founded True Dream in Johor Bahru in October 2025.
Why True Dream exists
Bright children, trying hard, who had never been shown how reading works.
Kevin began working in special needs education in 2017, at Lighthouse Academy, where he taught for five years. It was there that the pattern this whole centre is built around became impossible to ignore: children who were bright, willing and trying hard, and who still could not read — because nobody had ever taught them how reading actually works.
After Lighthouse he worked independently, supporting children and families one to one, and trained in Orton-Gillingham based structured literacy — the explicit, sequential way of teaching reading that his work now rests on.
In October 2025 he founded True Dream in Johor Bahru, to do that work properly and in one place: small matched groups, individual and home support, and assessment that comes before any placement. In February 2026 he began the Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties at DAS Academy in Singapore.
The path here
From the classroom to True Dream.
- 2017
Begins in special needs education
Joins Lighthouse Academy, where he teaches for five years.
- 2022
Independent practice
Works directly with children and families as a freelance practitioner.
- Oct 2025
Founds True Dream
Opens True Dream Coaching & Consultancy in Johor Bahru.
- Feb 2026
Specialist diploma
Begins the Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties at DAS Academy, Singapore.
Training
Qualifications, stated exactly.
What is finished is marked as finished, and what is still in progress says so. Parents deserve to know the difference.
Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties
DAS Academy, Singapore
Began February 2026
How Kevin teaches
Three things that do not change.
Structured, in a clear sequence
Reading is taught explicitly and in order, so a child is never asked to use something they have not been given.
Purposeful play and predictable routine
Sessions are warm and active, but the shape of them does not change. A child who knows what is coming spends their effort on the reading.
Encouragement built on relationship
The aim is a child who can regulate, take part and practise with confidence — which depends on trusting the adult enough to be wrong in front of them.
The full method, and why more reading practice is not the same thing, is on how we teach reading.
Mission
“To empower special needs children to live with confidence, independence, and joy.”
Vision
“To become a center of empowerment and inspiration, nurturing children to grow into confident, independent individuals.”
What True Dream does
Areas of work.
Workshops and talks
A child spends far more hours with their family and classroom teacher than with any intervention centre, so Kevin works with parents and educators directly too.
Workshops & speaking →Lumora
Kevin also built Lumora, a separate learning app families can use for reading and spelling practice between sessions. It is not a replacement for intervention.
About Lumora →
Start here
If something about your child’s reading has been worrying you, talk to us.
There is no charge for the conversation, and registering does not commit you to a programme.