Developmental language disorder (DLD): A parent and practitioner guide

About the developmental language disorder (DLD)

DLD is when a child has ongoing trouble with understanding and using language, which can affect life at home and at school.

DLD is not caused by other conditions like autism, hearing loss, or genetic conditions such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy.
Children with DLD can also have other challenges, like ADHD, coordination issues (dyspraxia), reading/writing difficulties, or speech problems.
There is no known cause for DLD.
It used to be called Specific Language Impairment (SLI).
About two children in every classroom are affected by DLD.

Your child may:

struggle to find the right words when talking
have a small vocabulary and find it hard to learn new words
find it hard to understand what others are saying
speak in a way that sounds younger than their age (e.g. wrong tenses, mixed-up word order)
learn better with hands-on activities and pictures
have trouble answering questions like “who?”, “where?”, or “why?”

If your child has trouble with spoken language, here are some tips:

Give them extra time to think and speak
Don’t interrupt or finish their sentences
Use pictures, objects, or gestures to help them understand
Say their name before talking to get their attention
Use simple, clear language
Repeat what they say using the correct grammar (for example, if they say “catched ball,” you can say, “Yes, he caught the ball”)
Be specific when giving instructions (for example, say “Put your toys in the box” instead of “Put them in there”)
Speak slowly and clearly
Repeat things if needed

A speech and language therapist (SLT) will assess your child over several episodes of care.
They will give you strategies to support your child at home and in school.
A diagnosis of DLD is made after monitoring progress over time.
Children with more complex needs will be offered a block of specialist therapy.
Goals will be agreed, and support is given in episodes of care.
Further support can be requested once recommended activities have been tried.
Training is available for parents and school staff.
Some children may be suitable for Language Resource schools; the SLT will discuss this with you if helpful.