Developmental Language Disorder

• DLD is a communication disorder that interferes with learning, understanding, and using language. 

• These language difficulties are not explained by other conditions, such as hearing loss or autism, or by extenuating circumstances, such as lack of exposure to language. 

• DLD can affect a child’s speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It is one of the most common developmental disorders, affecting approximately 1 in 14 children in kindergarten. The impact of DLD persists into adulthood.

• Tends to use short, simple sentences with immature grammar.

• Presents with limited vocabulary.

• Has difficulty understanding spoken instructions.

• Has difficulty understanding and/or asking questions.

• Has difficulty understanding and/or telling stories.

• Has difficulty making predictions, inferences and negotiating with peers.

• Face the student: Looking directly at the child will allow you to give them added signals through body movements and will better convey the importance of your words.

• Make clear, explicit statements: Instead of saying “You need to be ready to go to library.”, say “Language period is over. Put away your journal. Then line up for library.”

• Repeat and rephrase key instructions: Give the full instruction to the class but plan to go back and repeat each step in short, simple sentences to students who need the repetition.

• Use multimodal supports: Use different ways to convey messages (gestures, pictures, visual planners, etc.)

International Dyslexia Organization (IDA) Ontario https://www.idaontario.com/

College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) https://www.caslpo.com/

Preschool S/L website (Surrey Place Ctr) https://www.surreyplace.ca/services/preschool-speech-and-language-program/