Developmental Language Disorders - DLD

DLD Definition

Persistent difficulty (across the lifespan) in the acquisition and use of listening and speaking skills across any of the 5 domains: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

• A language disorder is ore of an umbrella term that indicates persistent difficulties with one or more aspects of language.

• Language is the only area of difficulty

DLD Characteristics:

Atypical Signs:

• parent concerns

• history of delayed speech and language development

• academic difficulties

• processing difficulties

• persistent social problems

• speech production difficulties

DLD affects all 5 domains:

Common Characteristics:

• difficulty learning language rules → morpho-syntax

• additional difficulites

  • semantics

  • pragmatics

Content: Semantics

• has smaller/more limited vocabularies

• difficulty with fast mapping → typical development… learn meaning and label of a word after only one exposure

• children w/ SLI need at least 2x the exposure to an object to be able to name it

Form: Syntax/ Morphology

Use: Pragmatics

• may act like younger children

• less flexibility in tailoring message to listener or repairing communication breakdown

Assessment:

• parent interview and in-depth case history

• norm-referenced assessment (e.g., CELF)

• in-depth language sample analysis

• criterion-referenced assessment to provide information w/ respect to deficits in content, form, and use

Intervention Models:

Indirect Intervention:

• consultation an collaboration w/ others

  • parents/caregivers

  • educators

Direct Intervention:

• Most frequently used

  • taget specific lang weakness

  • provide many opportunities to practice

  • provide a means to promote generalization

  • opportunities to practice in multiple settings and w/ multiple communication partners