Ask most parents what dyslexia is and they’ll have an answer. Ask about Developmental Language Disorder, or DLD, and most will shrug. Yet DLD is common, it’s long term, and it often hides in plain sight as a child who “doesn’t listen”, “can’t follow instructions” or “won’t settle”. Every October, DLD Awareness Day tries to change that. This year it falls on Friday 16 October, with the theme “Together for DLD”. Here’s what every parent should know, whatever the date.
What DLD is
DLD means a child has significant, ongoing difficulties understanding and/or using spoken language, with no known cause. It isn’t caused by emotional difficulties or by how much a child has been talked to. A child who speaks more than one language has DLD in all of the languages they use.
A UCL-led study of more than 7,000 children starting school in Surrey found that 7.58% had a language disorder with no known cause. That’s around two children in every class of 30. Source: Norbury et al., 2016.
Three more things worth knowing:
- It’s long term. DLD is a long-term condition. What changes as a child grows is how it shows up, from early talking and understanding to reading comprehension, writing and following a busy lesson.
- It often comes with other needs. The international definition says DLD can sit alongside ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions, and the diagnosis can still be made. Dyslexia often co-occurs with DLD too. What actually helps with dyslexia →
- It affects learning, not just talking. In the same UCL study, 88% of children with an unexplained language disorder were not meeting early curriculum targets. And it lasts: in a Canadian study that followed children for 14 years, those identified with language difficulties at age 5 were still behind their peers in every area of schoolwork at 19, even after taking IQ into account (Young et al., 2002).
What DLD can look like
DLD is easy to miss because many children with it can chat happily about things they know well. The difficulty shows when language gets harder: new words, longer instructions, abstract ideas, or questions that need an explanation. You might notice that your child:
- doesn’t seem to understand, or remember, what’s been said, especially instructions with more than one step
- sounds younger than their age, with muddled sentences, missing words or the wrong word
- struggles to explain, tell a story in order, or say what happened at school
- finds reading comprehension and written work hard, even if they can decode the words
- seems anxious, switched off or “badly behaved” in class, when the real problem is that they haven’t understood
Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis to get help
As with every other special educational need, school support shouldn’t wait for a label. The SEND Code of Practice lists communication and interaction as one of the four broad areas of need, and describes children who have “difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them” (para 6.28). If your child is struggling, school should respond through SEN Support: assess, plan, do, review. Why a diagnosis doesn’t change school support →
If your child has, or needs, an EHCP, one paragraph of the Code matters more than most. It says that because communication is so fundamental in education, speech and language therapy “should normally be recorded as special educational provision unless there are exceptional reasons for not doing so” (para 9.74). When it’s recorded that way, the council is ultimately responsible for making sure it’s delivered, and you can appeal to tribunal if you disagree with what’s written (para 9.76).
The paragraph of the SEND Code of Practice that says speech and language therapy in an EHCP should normally count as special educational provision.
Getting an assessment in Kent
In Kent, NHS speech and language therapy referrals for school-age children go through the school, at what Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust calls School Link Therapy meetings. So the first step is to talk to your child’s SENCO:
- Ask whether your child can be discussed at the next School Link Therapy meeting. Share what you see at home, with examples.
- Ask what’s already in place. What has the school noticed about your child’s understanding and use of language, and what support is running now?
- Ask how it will be reviewed. When will you hear whether the support is working?
- Ask for the advice the service gives while you wait. The trust’s Children’s Therapies resources (“the Pod”) have advice for families and schools.
If your child is home educated or out of school, you can refer them yourself using the trust’s referral form. IASK (Information, Advice and Support Kent) gives free, independent advice if you’re not getting anywhere.
What helps, at home and at school
The strategies that help children with DLD are simple, and they help many other children too:
- Get attention first. Say your child’s name before you give an instruction or ask a question.
- Keep it short and repeat it. One step at a time, in plain words, and say it again if needed.
- Give thinking time. Wait longer than feels natural for an answer.
- Show as well as tell. Use pictures, gestures, objects and written prompts, especially for new words.
- Teach new vocabulary before the lesson. Pre-teaching the key words for a topic helps a child follow it in class.
- Check understanding the right way. “Tell me what you’re going to do first” works better than “Do you understand?”
Wondering whether what you’re seeing is DLD, something else, or both? A free 15-minute call is a good place to start.
Book a Free 15-Minute CallWhere Education With Lauren fits in
Language difficulties rarely show up in isolation. They show up as a reading age that won’t move, written work that doesn’t match what your child can say out loud, or a child who seems to “switch off”. Our job is to work out why, and turn that into support school can act on.
- Gap Analysis Assessment — it looks at your child’s attainment against the national curriculum, their learning gaps and barriers to learning, and identifies indicators of speech and language needs alongside dyslexia, ADHD, autism and processing difficulties. You come away knowing what’s getting in the way and what to ask school for.
- Gap Analysis Assessment with School Liaison Service — everything in the Gap Analysis, plus a provision map the class teacher and SENCO can use straight away, with strategies built around how your child understands and uses language.
- Referral to a speech and language therapist — where a specialist view would help, we can refer you to Ana, an independent HCPC-registered Speech and Language Therapist and audiology specialist, whom you engage directly. You can share her findings with us so we can build them into your child’s wider plan.
- Specialist teaching — through our sister service, Tuition With Lauren, we provide one-to-one teaching that adapts to how your child processes language.
Education With Lauren does not deliver these assessments and does not accept liability for these independent professional services.
“Lauren has completed a gap analysis assessment for my daughter, and it has been so helpful for us. I now feel like I have a much clearer understanding if what will help her achieve, and also know what I need to be discussing with school in terms of appropriate support.…”
“We have been extremely pleased with the support and guidance our daughter has received from Lauren. From the very beginning, Lauren took the time to understand her individual needs, strengths, and challenges, creating a positive and encouraging learning environment where she feels comfortable, valued, and confident.…”
A child who can’t follow the lesson isn’t choosing not to listen. Find out what they’ve understood before deciding what they won’t do.
Lauren is the founder of Education With Lauren, a qualified teacher and SEND specialist with 16 years’ experience across mainstream schools, Kent County Council provisions and specialist settings. She holds a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS (SpLD, Needs and Inclusion) and an MSc in Neuroscience and Brain Cognition, and is an approved education supplier to Kent County Council.
Frequently asked questions
What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)?
DLD is a long-term condition in which a child has significant, ongoing difficulties understanding and/or using spoken language, with no known cause. It affects around two children in every class of 30.
Is DLD the same as a speech delay?
No. DLD is about language: understanding and using words and sentences. Difficulty pronouncing sounds is a separate speech difficulty, although some children have both. And unlike a short-term delay, DLD is a long-term condition that isn’t expected to resolve on its own. Children with DLD can make good progress with the right support.
Does my child need a diagnosis to get support at school?
No. Under the SEND Code of Practice, schools should identify and respond to a child’s needs through SEN Support. Communication and interaction is one of the four broad areas of need, and support shouldn’t wait for a diagnosis.
How do I get a speech and language therapy assessment in Kent?
For school-age children, NHS speech and language therapy referrals in Kent go through the school, via School Link Therapy meetings, so start by talking to your child’s SENCO. If your child is home educated or out of school, you can refer them yourself. Some families also choose an independent speech and language therapist.
Should speech and language therapy be in my child’s EHCP?
If your child needs it, yes. The SEND Code of Practice says speech and language therapy should normally be recorded as special educational provision in an EHCP, unless there are exceptional reasons not to.
This article is general information for parents. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not legal advice.
Sources
- RADLD, DLD Awareness Day: Friday 16 October 2026, “Together for DLD”
- Norbury, C.F. et al. (2016). “The impact of nonverbal ability on prevalence and clinical presentation of language disorder: evidence from a population study.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(11), 1247–1257; UCL News, “Two children in every class experience language disorders” (May 2016)
- Bishop, D.V.M. et al. (2017). “Phase 2 of CATALISE: a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: Terminology.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(10), 1068–1080
- Carroll, J. et al. (2025). “Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (definition adopted by the British Dyslexia Association), on co-occurrence with DLD
- Young, A.R. et al. (2002). “Young adult academic outcomes in a longitudinal sample of early identified language impaired and control children.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(5), 635–645
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Developmental Language Disorder: information for parents (2016)
- Department for Education & Department of Health, SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015), paras 6.27, 6.28, 9.74 and 9.76
- Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, Children’s therapies referral