DLD
Developmental Language Disorder - What is it?
DLD is diagnosed when children fail to acquire their own language for no obvious reason. This results in children who have difficulty understanding what people say to them, or they could struggle to articulate their ideas and feelings. Recent research suggests that there are potentially 2 children in every class of 30 experiencing DLD that is severe enough to impact on academic progress and social relationships. About half of these are undiagnosed.
What sort of difficulties?
Children with DLD have problems with speaking and listening such as :
limited understanding and use of vocabulary
limited and immature sentence structures
poor narrative skills
poor comprehensions of language
poor relationships as they get older
Who are we talking about?
Young people in your class that:
fall behind other children of the same age
can struggle in everyday life and in accessing learning but it is not clear why (not part of other developmental or acquired difficulties)
don't speak much and can be withdrawn
struggle to find the right words
doesn't follow instructions well
struggles with friendships
might 'act out' in class
THESE DIFFICULTIES CAN BE HARD TO SPOT AS THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN ALL YOUNG PEOPLE!
DLD may not always be recognised as a language problem first. It may be spotted as a difficulty with learning, or with peers, with reading or behaviour.
What can we do about it?
ALL of the information in this toolkit will support young people with DLD.