W5 - DLD

Question 1

What are the potential ‘risk factors’ for a language disorder?

Answer 1

• If a child has both receptive and expressive delay, difficulty is likely to be more persistent than if just an expressive delay.
• Family history of persistent SLCN
• Impaired performance on certain language tasks, for example recalling sentences

Question 2

What is DLD?

Answer 2

Developmental Language Disorder is a language disorder that is not associated with an additional medical condition - there are no other identifiable causes for the child to present with a language disorder.

Question 3

What are the characteristics of DLD?

Answer 3

• Different severity of difficulty in receptive v expessive language
• Any or all of the following areas may be affected: phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax and pragmatics
• Delayed vocabulary development
• Continued use of overextension or underextension past typical age
• Use of empty language
• Syntactic development is delayed - e.g. combining two words
• Difficulty with morphemes - e.g. -s suffix for plurals
• Attention/listening
• Difficulties with symbolic play
• Difficulties with visual perception tasks - e.g. shape discrimination
• Difficulties processing auditory information
• Neurological indicators such as clumsiness, motor difficulties or poor visual-motor coordination
• Less likely to initiate peer interaction

Question 4

What impact can DLD potentially have on academic perfomance?

Answer 4

• Poor listening/concentration
• Difficulties reading and writing
• Poor overall academic performance
• Difficulty with organisation
• May not ask for help when needed
• May be seen as ‘naughty’ and get into trouble

Question 5

What impact can DLD potentially have on relationships?

Answer 5

• Take things literally
• Not understanding jokes
• Interrupting and poor turn-taking skills
• Poor eye contact
• Shy
• Poor relationship formation ^

Question 6

What impact can DLD potentially have on wellbeing?

Answer 6

• Shyness/withdrawn
• Low confidence and self-esteem
• Behavioural difficulties
• Avoid talking in class

Question 7

What are the genetic factors in the aetiology of DLD?

Answer 7

• DLD tends to run in families
• Studies of identical and non-identical twins support a genetic link
• No specific gene has been identified that can be test to diagnose DLD

Question 8

What are the neurological factors in the aetiology of DLD?

Answer 8

• Studies of brain structure and function have found there to be some differences that are potential risk factors for DLD
  e. g:

* some children with DLD have an extra sulcus in the Broca’s area

Question 9

What are the environmental factors in the aetiology of DLD?

Answer 9

• Important but not as significant in determining liklihood of DLD
• Some studies show the level of maternal education has an influence on DLD, but this is not a causal factor in other studies

Question 10

What are the cognitive factors in the aetiology of DLD?

Answer 10

• Some researchers have identified linguistic and cognitive causes in DLD, such as cognitive processing impairment or verbal memory deficits

* there is debate as to whether these are causal or additional difficulties for children with DLD