Understanding Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Understanding Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a common but often misunderstood condition that affects a child's or young persons ability to understand and use spoken language. While many young people occasionally struggle to find the right words or follow instructions, pupils with DLD experience persistent language difficulties, and we know, as the UK’s leading education provider for children with SEN, that this can have a significant impact on their academic achievement, social development and everyday participation in school life.

As language underpins almost every aspect of learning, understanding DLD is essential for teachers, teaching assistants and SEND professionals. This article explores the signs of DLD and outlines practical strategies that can help teaching professionals support pupils more effectively in the classroom.

What is Developmental Language Disorder?

Developmental Language Disorder is a lifelong condition that affects an individual's ability to understand and use language. Previously known as Specific Language Impairment (SLI), the terminology was updated in 2016 to better reflect the broad range of language difficulties experienced by children and young people.

Pupils with DLD experience ongoing difficulties with spoken language that affect learning, communication and social interaction. Although there are common characteristics associated with DLD, it presents differently in every pupil. Each child or young person will have their own profile of strengths, needs and areas for support.

DLD is estimated to affect around one in 14 children, meaning there are likely to be two or more pupils with DLD in the average classroom.

How might DLD affect pupils?

Pupils with DLD can experience challenges with both understanding language and expressing themselves. They may know what they want to say but find it difficult to organise their thoughts into words. Similarly, they may struggle to process spoken information, understand classroom instructions or follow teacher explanations.

These difficulties can affect participation, confidence, academic progress and peer relationships. As classroom learning relies heavily on spoken language, pupils with DLD are often required to work significantly harder than their peers to access the curriculum.

Without appropriate support, language difficulties can sometimes be mistaken for inattentiveness, low ability or a lack of engagement.

Signs of DLD in pupils

The presentation of DLD varies depending on a pupil's age and individual needs. However, there are several common indicators that educational professionals may observe.

Children and young people may appear distracted or struggle to maintain attention when listening to spoken information. They may find it difficult to follow instructions, particularly when multiple steps are involved or when instructions are delivered quickly.

Vocabulary acquisition can be slower, with pupils requiring more repetition and explicit teaching to learn, remember and use new words. Difficulties answering questions are also common, either because the pupil has not fully understood the question or because they struggle to formulate an appropriate response.

When explaining events or recounting experiences, pupils may find it difficult to organise information logically, often presenting ideas out of sequence or omitting important details.

Difficulties with speaking and sentence construction

Children and young people with DLD may use shorter or less detailed sentences than their peers. They may leave out smaller grammatical words such as "the", "is" or "are", causing sentences to sound incomplete or disjointed. Some children or young people may leave off word endings, such as "-ing", "-ed" or plural "-s" endings. Others may use grammar rules inconsistently.

Pupils may also find it difficult to express complex thoughts clearly, leading to frustration when others do not understand what they are trying to communicate.

Understanding language and social communication

DLD can also impact how children and young people understand the language used by others. Many struggle with non-literal language, including idioms, metaphors and figures of speech. Expressions such as "it's raining cats and dogs" or "pull your socks up" may be interpreted literally, leading to confusion. Some children and young people also find it difficult to make inferences, read between the lines or understand implied meanings within conversations and stories. This can affect social interactions. Participating in conversations, explaining ideas and maintaining friendships may become more challenging when communication feels difficult or unpredictable.

Encouraging all forms of communication

Every form of communication has value. pupils may communicate through gestures, pointing, facial expressions, drawing, writing or using visual supports. Encouraging and acknowledging these forms of communication helps build confidence and promotes successful interaction. When children and young people feel understood, they are often more motivated to continue developing their communication skills.

Supporting grammar and vocabulary development

One effective approach within educational settings is to model language rather than directly correct it.

For example, if a pupil says, "Boy play ball," an adult might respond with, "Yes, the boy is playing with the ball."

This allows the pupils to hear accurate language models within a meaningful context without feeling singled out or corrected. Consistent exposure to well-modelled language can support the development of grammar and sentence construction over time.

Vocabulary development should also be a key focus. When pupils struggle to retrieve a word, adults can encourage them to describe it by discussing its appearance, function, category or initial sound. This supports both word-finding skills and vocabulary growth.

Strategies that can support pupils in school

Schools play a vital role in supporting pupils with DLD. Vocabulary teaching should be a priority, with children and young people receiving repeated exposure to new words in different contexts. Visual supports, labelled environments and structured opportunities to practise vocabulary can all improve understanding.

Breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps can also help reduce language demands. Visual task plans and written instructions can support children to work more independently and confidently.

Checking understanding is equally important. Rather than simply asking whether a child or young person understands, we can encourage them to explain instructions in their own words. This helps identify misunderstandings before they become barriers to learning.

Creating a classroom culture where asking for help is encouraged can also be highly beneficial. Teachers and support staff can model help-seeking behaviours to demonstrate that everyone needs clarification sometimes.

In this webinar, Sarah Booth, Senior Speech and Language Therapist from our Group, shares strategies to help spot the signs early, learn practical ways to help at home and school, and guidance to support development.