DLD
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a lifelong condition affecting 2 children in every average classroom of 30 in the UK.
What is it?
DLD is a diagnosis given by a speech and language therapist to people who have lifelong difficulties with talking and understanding words. These difficulties create barriers to communication or learning in everyday life and aren’t due to another condition.
Lots of children have it, yet most people don’t know about it.
How does it affect children?
Every child with DLD is unique and it will present differently in every child. Your child’s specific difficulties can also change as they get older and they need to develop more complex communication skills.
Children with DLD may:
- Not talk as much and find it difficult to express themselves using words.
- Find it harder to remember certain words or use a range of vocabulary.
- Have language that sounds immature for their age.
- Not understand information or remember what someone has said.
- Older children may also have difficulties reading and using written language.
Language difficulties may also underlie behaviour issues such as anxiety or misbehaving in class.
DLD is a long-term condition that can have a big impact on a person’s learning and achievement at school. Children with DLD are more likely to have reading difficulties when they reach school age.
Sometimes DLD can affect children’s social interaction skills and their ability to make and keep friends.
What causes DLD?
There is no known cause of DLD. It is not caused by emotional difficulties, bilingualism or a limited exposure to language.
DLD is also not caused by other medical conditions such as hearing loss, physical impairment, autism, severe learning difficulties, or brain injuries.
However, children and young people with these difficulties may also have a language disorder.
Children with DLD can have difficulties in a range of areas such as building sentences, telling stories, understanding language and developing vocabulary.
Remember: Language difficulties may also underlie behaviour issues such as anxiety or misbehaving in class
DLD looks different in each individual child. The child’s specific difficulties can also change as they get older and need to develop more complex skills.
DLD is a long term condition that can have a big impact on a child/young person’s learning and achievement at school.
Children with DLD are at risk of reading difficulties when they reach school age. Sometimes DLD can affect children’s social interaction skills and their ability to make and keep friends. Children with DLD often learn and understand better through visual and /or practical methods, rather than verbal methods. For example they would understand a story better if they watched it being acted out and drew it rather than being told verbally.
Please visit the following websites for further advice on DLD or Speech and Language Difficulties:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/speech-and-language-difficulties
https://www.afasic.org.uk/about-talking/types-of-slcn/what-are-speech-difficulties/
If you are concerned that your child has a difficulty in any aspect of Speech or Language and want to discuss it further, please contact the school ALNCo @ millerj67@hwbcymru.net or your child's class teacher.