What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)?

You may or may not have heard of DLD. DLD used to be known as Specific Language Impairment (SLI). It comes under the umbrella of ‘neurodiversity’. It is a life-long condition that affects a child’s (or an adult’s) ability to understand language and express themselves. This RCSLT factsheet gives a really detailed overview of DLD here.

A child or adult with DLD might show signs, such as:

• struggling to find the words to express ideas.
• having trouble organising sentences, having conversations or telling a story.
• finding it hard to understand words, follow instructions or answer questions.
• not remembering what someone has said.
• having difficulty paying attention.
• difficulties with reading and writing.

DLD is a diagnosis given when there are language difficulties WITHOUT any other known cause, such as a learning disability or autism. Only a speech and language therapist can diagnose DLD.

DLD can impact on a person’s life and particularly their access to education and therefore impacts on their occupation. People with DLD tend to achieve lower academic qualifications than their peers. This is why it’s important to raise awareness of DLD, so that people can get access to support as early as possible.

If you think you might or your child might have DLD and you want to look into a diagnosis, then please contact us here.