About The Hampstead Dyslexia Clinic

A little bit about our dyslexia specialists Delia and Seth, as well as the fascinating history of the late Renee Maria Lawton-Browne and the founding of our clinic.

Delia began her working life in 1993 as a freelance broadcast journalist for BBC Radio 2, after graduating from Leeds University with a BA Hons in Italian and Philosophy. She went on to study for a post-grad certificate in teaching children with learning difficulties at the Hampstead Dyslexia Clinic. After getting married to Seth in 1998, the couple moved to New York. 

Here Delia worked as a specialist teacher at the Allegro School for children on the the Autistic Spectrum (ASD), a role that allowed her a creative outlet for teaching real-life skills, touch- typing, maths and English. 

Delia returned to the UK in 2005 and began working alongside her mother, Renee, whilst studying for a Masters in Learning and Disability Studies at UCL's Institute of Education for which she gained a distinction. In 2009, she went onto gain her Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A) from Real Training.

Upon Renee's passing, Delia continued to run the business with her father, William, and her husband, Seth, and in 2014 they moved the Clinic to their new home in Finchley Central. 

With over 25 years working in this field, Delia offers consultancy services, assessments and lessons to those with Dyslexia.

'The ripple effect has been huge! All these years later, we still get contacted by former students who were once assessed or taught by my late Mum, Dr Joan Mushin, Diane Rees or Chavi Sharma, who are still teaching with us, 25-plus years later. If dyslexia is really all about thinking differently, then HDC has always been and will continue to be a place where difference is celebrated and dyslexics are championed as creative thinkers.'

A brief history of the clinic and the life of our founder

Renee was born in Berlin, the first of three children, into a loving and close-knit family. The Besag family was well established in Berlin and Baden-Baden. Her father was of ancient Jewish descent, tracing his ancestry back to the 15th century (although a Christian himself). He married Herta, from Silesia, Germany, whose family had a strong military and public service background.

After Hitler came to power, they were obliged to flee to the Netherlands and later, in 1939, to Australia. Renee’s father was able to continue his work as a consulting engineer for a short time before his death. Her mother then took various menial jobs to feed the three children before finding that she could work in her previous profession as a school teacher. She was appointed to a post in the very prestigious Melbourne Church of England Girl's Grammar School, eventually rising to the Head of Arts and Crafts.