Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Developmental Language Disorder
DLD is a condition where children/young people have a range of difficulties. These include:
- following instructions
- putting their words into sentences
- learning and using new words
- joining in conversations with their friends or wider family members
- long-term challenges talking and/or understanding words
A child/young person with DLD may have lots of ideas but find it hard to put their ideas into words and understand what other people say to them. Their difficulties can be hard to spot and may be ‘hidden’ for a long time.
If this is something you are worried about, talk to the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCo) at your child’s school. They might talk to you about the school asking for support from a Specialist Advisory Teacher (SAT) for DLD. Referrals to our team can only be made through schools.
Support for children and young people with DLD
Specialist Advisory Teachers for DLD are a team of teachers who work across schools in the area. School staff can ask for the team to work with your child through the Early Support Process. The team work with children and young people from Year 1 to Year 11 in their school settings.
If your child is younger than Year 1, they may need to be referred to a speech therapist through the NHS or the Early Years (0 to 5 Years) Service.
If your child has difficulties with speaking clearly, they may also need to be referred to the Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service.
The DLD team
When schools make a request for Early Support, the DLD team go into school to see your child.
At this first appointment, the team might:
- observe your child in class or at play-time
- work with your child to do some assessments of their speaking and listening skills
- talk to staff about your child’s strengths and any worries they have
- talk to you about your child
- look at their work
After the initial visit, a report is written, and the findings are shared with you and the school. The team might also suggest some ways in which the school could support your child to access the learning in the classroom.
Ongoing work might include:
- provision of resources
- individual and group work
- talking to staff
- modelling and coaching
- attending meetings
- training staff
- monitoring and reviewing your child’s progress and setting new targets if needed
Additional information
The DLD team might also work with: