What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
You can also emphasize to the adults in your child’s life the importance of patience and of giving your child enough time to get their message across and be heard.
You can share with others how your child communicates; what is their preferred method of communication and what are their weaknesses.
DLD is an elusive disorder that can have a profound impact on a child’s development and quality of life. By raising awareness, we can help promote understanding and improve the lives of people living with DLD day to day.
Sources: (NHS)
Finally, if you have an older child with DLD, talk to them about what helps them and note down these strategies. This will improve their confidence and promote their skills of self-advocacy.
Set up ‘role play’ opportunities where your child practices using their language in different contexts, e.g. a ‘café’ where your child practices ordering their own meal.
There are also steps you can take with other people to help maximize your child’s communication potential. Firstly, you can share with your friends and family what DLD means.
When giving your child instructions, keep them specific, e.g. “put X in the big bowl.”
When you give instructions or new information, check that they have understood by asking them to repeat back to you what you have just told them.
Encourage your child to communicate with you in whatever way possible, whether that’s gesturing, pointing, or facial expressions. Remember that communication is more than just speech.
Try and remember to talk calmly and slowly to support their ability to process the language, and give your child more time than normal to respond.
There are many things you can do to support a child or young person with DLD. Let’s start with some steps you can take to support your child at home.
It can be helpful to use visuals to support understanding. Try providing a picture and/or using gestures to represent new words and concepts. Visual timetables can help structure their day.
In some cases, DLD can also affect a child’s social development and their ability to make and keep friends.
Make sure that your child can see your face when you are talking to them, so as to support their attention and listening. Get down to their physical level if you have to.
Use simple language and repeat yourself if necessary in order to support memory. Try and provide as many opportunities as possible for them to hear, see, and use words.
As mentioned before, children with DLD are at risk of developing reading difficulties once they reach school age.
DLD is a long-term condition that can seriously affect a child or young person’s learning and achievement at school, as well as their overall development.
For starters, the child may not talk as much as other children their age, and they may have difficulty expressing themselves with spoken language.
Although there are common signs of DLD, it is also important to remember that each child’s needs are specific and that these will change as the child grows older.
Older children with DLD may also have trouble reading and using written language, as well as spoken language.
Although we do not know what causes DLD, we are able to identify some of the signs. Here are some things to look out for if you suspect a child may be struggling with DLD.
It is important to remember that DLD can underlie certain behavioral issues, such as anxiety and misbehaving in class.
It is also not caused by other medical conditions, such as hearing loss, physical impairment, or autism (although children with these difficulties may also have language problems).
Developmental language disorder (DLD), which was previously known as specific language impairment (SLI), is a persistent type of speech, language, and communication need.
We do not know what causes DLD, which can make it difficult to explain. We do know, however, that it is not caused by emotional problems or limited exposure to language.
People with DLD have significant and ongoing difficulties understanding and/or using spoken language in all of the languages they use.
Speech and language therapists also have a crucial role to play in the management of DLD. They will provide specific strategies to support your child’s language skills.
Unless you know a child or young person with developmental language disorder (DLD), you might not have heard of it. DLD is elusive; we do not know what causes it, and therefore it often goes undiscussed. However, this speech disorder, which is characterized by ongoing problems with understanding and/or using spoken language, can have a profound impact on a child's development and therefore quality of life.
Intrigued? Check out this gallery to learn all about DLD.
Understanding developmental language disorder
A complete guide to DLD and identifying its signs
LIFESTYLE Dld
Unless you know a child or young person with developmental language disorder (DLD), you might not have heard of it. DLD is elusive; we do not know what causes it, and therefore it often goes undiscussed. However, this speech disorder, which is characterized by ongoing problems with understanding and/or using spoken language, can have a profound impact on a child's development and therefore quality of life.
Intrigued? Check out this gallery to learn all about DLD.