Ahead of Developmental Language Disorder Day on Friday 20 October, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) is raising awareness of the long term impacts of this “hidden” communication disorder, which affects the educational and personal development of approximately two in every class of 30 children.
Ruth Sedgewick, Head of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) in Northern Ireland explained:
“Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a hidden speech, language and communication need that significantly affects how children understand and use language.
“DLD can impact a child’s educational, personal and emotionaldevelopment – knocking their confidence and ability to interact with others, and lead to behavioural and mental health issues.
“At a critical stage in a child’s education, this can present a major setback. Without the right support, some children may struggle to get back on track, affecting their academic success, and ultimately their future employment opportunities.”
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) has joined forces with the Education Authority (EA) for Northern Ireland’s Language and Communication Service (LCS) to launch new resources for post primary teachers to help them recognise Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in the classroom.
Launching the new teacher resources, Ruth Sedgewick explained how low awareness of the disorder means it can be a hidden problem in the classroom. She added:
“DLD remains relatively unknown, even by those working with children and young people. In some cases it can be easily identified, but often a child or young person with DLD is very skilled at masking any difficulties.
“Given the low level of awareness and the huge impact DLD can have, we’re delighted to launch these new teacher resources. We hope teaching staff will become more aware of the hidden nature of DLD and how it can present in the classroom, that they will be able to identify children with the communication difficulty, and seek help from a speech and language therapist to assess the child, diagnose the disorder and provide appropriate specialist support.
“In this way, more children will be able to thrive in the classroom – both educationally and socially.”
Education Authority Assistant Director, Gillian Cuthbert said:
“We are delighted to work in partnership with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Northern Ireland, to share in knowledge and expertise for the benefit of our children and young people.
“This collaborative project will see more exciting developments coming soon to raise awareness and to support children and young people with Developmental Language Disorder in our schools.”
Attending the launch at Stormont Parliament Buildings, Cara Hunter MLA said:
“Evidence has consistently proven that the earlier we can identify issues in children and young people, the better. It’s great to see organisations like RCSLT develop resources and training so that teachers can identify children with DLD in their own classrooms. Children who are experiencing this must feel so isolated at times, but when teachers, and indeed parents and guardians, are better equipped to spot the signs, it can go a long way towards making them feel more included, improve their educational experience and ultimately their educational outcomes.”
Discover more from LoveBelfast
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
