Joel James MS has today marked developmental language disorder (DLD) day, a day to raise awareness of the life-long condition that affects how people understand and express language.
Two children in every class of thirty, or 7.58% of children, start school with DLD. There is no known single cause, although evidence suggests that biological, genetic and environmental risk factors play a part.
People with DLD can have difficulties with:
- Listening, attention, memory and language processing, particularly when lots of information is being given orally;
- Following instructions, understanding questions and narratives;
- Understanding and using vocabulary;
- Expressing what they want to say, including difficulties with word finding, grammar and sequencing their thoughts;
- Social interaction, including having difficulties joining in conversations, understanding jokes, and non-literal language; and
- Using language to express their thoughts and feelings and to regulate their behaviour and their interactions with other people
Speaking about the day, Joel said:
I’m raising awareness of developmental language disorder on #DLDday. DLD is a hidden but common condition which can first be diagnosed in childhood. It affects how people understand and express language. It is essential that people with DLD can access early diagnosis and support.
For more information, please visit the RADLD website https://radld.org/
