Six-year-old Antoni, born in the UK to Polish parents, struggles in class, speaking only a few English words and often appearing confused by his teacher’s instructions. While he might simply be adjusting to a new language, Antoni could be experiencing developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that significantly impairs a child’s ability to learn, use, and understand spoken language.
The challenge of identifying DLD is becoming increasingly common for parents and educators. In England, approximately 21% of schoolchildren grow up with a first language other than English. While most children’s language development, whether monolingual or multilingual, is typical, the average classroom includes two children affected by DLD. This condition’s prevalence, estimated at around 8%, is consistent worldwide, from China to Mexico.
Understanding DLD and Its Challenges
DLD remains under-recognized and underserved, especially compared to other developmental conditions like dyslexia, autism, or ADHD. Identifying DLD in multilingual children poses unique challenges. Each language a child learns develops at its own pace, influenced by factors such as frequency of use. Multilingual children may temporarily lag behind their monolingual peers in vocabulary in one language, but this should not be mistaken for DLD.
Children with DLD exhibit problems across all their languages and require specialist intervention. In contrast, those with typically developing language skills only struggle in the language they need more exposure to, such as English at school. Learning multiple languages promotes linguistic, social, and cognitive strengths in all children. Contrary to longstanding myths, multilingualism does not cause or exacerbate DLD.
The Lifelong Impact of DLD
The impact of DLD extends far beyond language, affecting mental health, socialization, literacy, academic performance, and quality of life. Accurate, timely diagnosis and support are crucial, not just for individual life chances but also for societal benefit. Adults with DLD face higher risks of unemployment and criminal records.
“The prevalence of DLD is consistent worldwide, affecting roughly 8% of children.”
Addressing DLD in Multilingual Contexts
Key signs that a multilingual child may be at risk for DLD include:
- Slower to say first words or put words together than siblings
- Struggling to understand what others say or follow instructions
- Having trouble expressing thoughts or telling stories
- Relying excessively on gestures to communicate instead of words
- Being slower to learn English in school than peers with similar backgrounds
- Struggling to interact with children who speak the same languages
Following a referral, speech and language therapists gather information from parents, teachers, and tests to understand the child’s abilities in all their languages. However, in linguistically diverse countries, significant obstacles remain. UK-based therapists, for instance, lack reliable tools to assess English and additional languages equally. The scarcity of multilingual therapists and trained interpreters can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed support.
Innovative Tools and Approaches
Progress is being made with new tools like the UK bilingual toddlers assessment tool and the Litmus battery for multilingual settings. The former evaluates two-year-olds’ vocabulary in British English and their other language, alongside exposure levels, to assess language development risk. The Litmus battery includes tools for assessing multilingual children’s language skills, such as phonological memory and storytelling.
Recently, Newcastle University has been developing a dynamic assessment resource that uses enjoyable activities to detect DLD. This tool explores multilingual children’s learning potential in areas affected by DLD, such as storytelling and recognizing emotions in voices.
“Detecting DLD is the first step. Support from family, schools, and therapists can transform a child’s life outcomes.”
Looking Ahead
Detecting DLD is crucial, but it is only the first step. Comprehensive support from family, schools, and speech and language therapists can significantly improve a multilingual child’s life outcomes, helping them grow up healthier and happier. As awareness and resources for DLD continue to develop, the hope is that more children like Antoni will receive the support they need to thrive in all their languages.
