What is DLD?
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a common communication disorder that affects approximately 1 in 14 children. It interferes with a child's ability to learn, understand, and use language, impacting their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. DLD is not caused by external factors or lack of exposure to language.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Children with DLD are often late talkers and may struggle to put words together into sentences, learn new words, and follow directions. These difficulties can persist into adulthood, affecting academic, social, and emotional development. Diagnosis typically involves a comprehensive evaluation by a speech-language pathologist.
Causes and Risk Factors
DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors influencing brain development. It tends to run in families, with children more likely to have parents or siblings who also experienced language difficulties. Importantly, learning multiple languages does not cause or worsen DLD, and multilingual children with DLD will show signs of DLD in all languages they speak.
Treatment and Support
While DLD is a lifelong condition, early intervention and ongoing support from speech-language pathologists can improve outcomes. Therapy focuses on developing language skills, enhancing communication strategies, and promoting self-advocacy.
Written by: Chelsey Salli, Speech-Language Pathologist
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