When will Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) get the Traction it Needs?

TWO students in every classroom have DLD (1/14 people - adults included!), and it is a specific challenge with learning, understanding and using spoken language (think of the child, for instance, that struggles to follow directions, instructions, comprehend text, or speak/write in sentences that flow naturally or make sense). It often goes hand in hand with Dyslexia in that they are both heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that range from mild to severe, begin at birth, and are something you do not simply "grow out of".

To learn more about the overlap and connection between DLD and dyslexia, read Maggie Snowling's article - it's terrific.

Here is an engaging and simple video to help understand 3 things everyone should know about DLD:

Years ago, when parenting my son, I struggled to communicate with him, and him with me. He only said a handful of words by the age of 3 ("art" was his favourite, and of course, he is an artist today), and he just didn't seem to take in what I was saying. He LOVED reading, art, and pretending, and as he was my first born, I really didn't understand that his verbal skills were way behind typical development. Finally a friend looked at me, slapped me on the arm, and said, "he should be talking by now - you need to call a speech language pathologist". This was back in the early 90s, and so I called, took a course, and VOILA! There were SO MANY STRATEGIES that worked so well! He was talking in no time (incidentally, this is what I ended up teaching to preschool and preservice teachers later on).

Unfortunately, just because his speaking skills improved, there was still a long way to go. His problems with understanding and using language became apparent to me when I visited his kindergarten classroom. I looked at the teacher and said, "is he always like this?" (not following along with what others were talking about, not understanding the rules of conversation, happy, but missing a lot of information that the teacher or his peers were saying). And again, in grade one, when I volunteered in his class, his teacher made it clear (unfortunately, very loudly and with frustration in front of the whole class) that "he is the only one who didn't do it!?!" (insert heartbreak emoji here).

Finally, in grade two, he was diagnosed with a "Specific Language Impairment", however it was only a 1.5 page report, and it didn't really explain what that was, nor what to do about it other than the classic, 'sit next to the teacher', 'chunk instructions', 'use an agenda'. There was no mention of dyslexia, nor his challenges with reading and writing, but this is where his challenges were most obvious, so this is where he received the most support. He ended up with (thankfully) very dedicated and helpful teachers all the rest of the way through his elementary school years, BUT THERE WAS NO INFORMATION ABOUT, NOR FOCUS ON HIS LANGUAGE SKILLS. And this was a big problem, not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well.

Not too long ago, I learned that DLD is the new term that encompasses all of the other terms that have been used to describe problems with understanding and using language (think of the top half of Scarborough's Reading Rope). What most people do not realize, is that DLD creates LIFELONG problems with:

• understanding what peers are saying, so playing together becomes frustrating and extremely challenging

• processing what teachers are saying, so following directions and instructions becomes humiliating and exhausting

• processing what the author is saying in stories, so answering comprehension questions becomes confusing and stifling

• organizing and expressing thoughts and words in sentences (syntax) orally, so fully expressing their intelligent ideas with language (either orally, or in print) becomes impossible (hence a better chance of expressing themselves through their bodies (physical mastery) or materials (art).

  
  

In any case, I am SO GRATEFUL and THANKFUL that the DLD bus has left the station. Here are some organizations that are working extremely hard to 'spread the word' about DLD:

This organization has branches/chapters in:

• Australia

• Brazil

• Canada

• Cyprus

• Denmark

• France

• German-Speaking Countries

• Greece

• Ireland

• Nigeria

• Northern Ireland

• Spanish-Speaking Countries

• United Kingdom

• USA

Their mission is to be the most trusted provider of evidence based DLD information, resources and training in Australia (and they host an INTERNATIONAL conference every year.

CLICK HERE for some interesting Resources

And finally, here is a pdf that I created to help the families and teachers that I work with. On one side, there are suggestions for how to support children who struggle with LISTENING (or "taking in" what is being said), and on the other side, there are suggestions for how to support children who struggle with SPEAKING (or "saying what they know"). Feel free to copy and use however you like. I hope you find it helpful!

2025 Are you a Parent or Teacher of a Child who Struggles to Listen or Say What they Know_.

Download • 689KB

I hope that the above organizations work to spread awareness about DLD is a raging success. Because there is nothing more enraging than a mother's inability to help her child.

Here is a podcast I was featured on with Anna Geiger (aka The Measured Mom) in which we speak about the complexity of oral language and DLD:

References

ACAMH (Association for Child and Mental Health) (2022). Dyslexia and developmental language disorder: same or different? [website article by professor Maggie Snowling President of St. John’s College at the University of Oxford]. Retrieved from https://www.acamh.org/blog/dyslexia-developmental-language-disorder-different/