A disorder that commonly occurs alongside dyslexia is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), previously known as Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Approximately 50% of children who struggle with language difficulties in their pre-school years, go on to be diagnosed with dyslexia. Children with both dyslexia and DLD often struggle with phonological aspects of language (the speech sounds they hear in words) as well as short-term verbal memory difficulties. However, children with dyslexia will also have more notable reading and spelling difficulties.

DLD is likely to impact upon an individual’s auditory processing; acquisition of a range of vocabulary; grammar difficulties as well as reading comprehension and structural language difficulties. It is estimated that 1 in 14 children have DLD and it often goes unrecognised. DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder; the exact causes of the brain differences that lead to DLD are still unknown. It is not caused by other medical conditions such as hearing loss, physical impairment, autism, severe learning difficulties, or brain injuries.

There are some excellent resources to explain DLD on the https://radld.org/

website, including some video clips to show what it is like to live with DLD:

Developmental Language Disorder- DLD 1 2 3

DLD results in children having difficulty understanding what people say to them, and struggling to articulate their ideas and feelings; they may not talk as much and find it difficult to express themselves using words. They may also:

• Find it harder to use a range of vocabulary or remember certain words

• Not understand information or remember what someone has said.

• Have difficulties reading and using written language.

• Use language that sounds immature for their age

Many children with DLD struggle with reading comprehension tasks and weak oral language skills compared to their nonverbal abilities. Some children with DLD will have difficulties with understanding and producing language whilst other may be able to understand spoken language but find it hard to express themselves appropriately.

Some strategies to support children with DLD in the classroom include:

• Try to make eye contact and use their name when addressing the child.

• Use visual supports as much as possible.

• Use as many senses as possible to teach new topics.

• Get into the habit of checking for understanding. This helps all children in the class. One way is for a child to repeat back what they must do in their own words.

• Give children time to process and find the words.

• Seat a child with DLD in a place where you can get their attention easily

• Consider your seating plan so that a child with DLD works with supportive peers.

• Set up the classroom and plan lessons so that a child can take breaks from listening, as this can be tiring.

• Reduce background noise and adapt your language so that instructions are clear, short and simple.

• Encourage metacognition during lessons, by increasing their self-awareness, including recognising their difficulties and learning when and how to use strategies to support their own learning as well as when to ask for help.

• Explicitly teach new vocabulary at the beginning of a topic and review it regularly.

• Refer on to a speech and language therapist if DLD is suspected.