We first noticed S had challenges when she turned 3. She wasn’t saying things other children of the same age did, but would come up with different ways of communicating instead. We had a lot of pictures, sign language, describing things, or writing things down. S has always enjoyed writing and drawing, and she has an amazing imagination, so would always come up with creative ways to let us know what she wanted when she could not vocalise those thoughts.

It took us just under 5 years to finally receive a diagnosis of DLD. For the majority of that time, we kept hitting dead ends, as apart from ruling other things out, no one seemed able or willing to give her an in-depth language evaluation because of her young age, despite us asking for one. We suspected DLD for a while, after taking it upon ourselves to try and find out what it might be by looking up symptoms online. I do feel like we were ignored by some in the early stages, and wonder how it could have helped us if we had been given a diagnosis earlier on, and then we could have been offered the right kind of support. These challenges with language impacted our lives on a daily basis, as she is such a smart little thing she was well aware of what she was not able to do, which caused lots of tears, both from her and me! As a mum it broke my heart to see how much she wanted to say something, but knowing she wasn’t able to get the words from her head out of her mouth.

When I first came across the RADLD website it felt almost like a cloud had lifted, as I could see that there was an answer, and I could see that I wasn’t alone. Seeing that there are organisations such as this which are researching DLD is so reassuring, as in the early years of our journey we met so many people who haven’t heard of it, despite being SLPs. I feel it is so important for people in this profession to be aware of it, instead of passing language difficulties off as other spectrum disorders.

I want to put our story out there to show others that you’re not alone, and even though it can seem like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders, especially when dealing with little ones with DLD, or suspected DLD, do not give up. Keep going, help and support are out there. I wish I’d found other stories like this when I was first searching for answers. My mental health has suffered because of our journey, but now that we’ve been given this diagnosis I’m trying to learn as much about it as I possibly can to be the best advocate for my daughter that I can be. Watching her persevere through the tough times has shown me how brave she is, which shows me if she can keep going then so can I.

The post S’s Story appeared first on RADLD.

The report highlights:

• The emotional and financial toll on families—some spending over $1,200 a month on essential therapy.

• The frustration that DLD is excluded from vital funding schemes.

• The broader impacts of DLD on learning, mental health, and future life opportunities.

Despite these challenges, Sadie’s powerful words, “I wouldn’t change the DLD because it’s part of who I am,” remind us why awareness matters. The DLD Project and RADLD International Committee member, Dr Shaun Ziegenfusz also spoke about the urgent need for better recognition and funding to support families across Australia.

This story is a win for visibility—but it’s just the beginning. RADLD will keep pushing until DLD is no longer overlooked in policy, health, and education.

Watch and Share:

📺 Watch the segment on YouTube

The post A Current Affair Shines a Light on DLD appeared first on RADLD.

I want this poster to stand out and speak out loud. Art gives me a voice.

I hope people can relate to it and are interested to find out more.

I want it to help to make a difference.

DLD is not just about kids. It is for LIFE, and the older you get, the harder it gets.

It doesn’t just disappear when you turn 18. (When this happens, you are suddenly meant to be an adult and be able to do everything on your own. But you are still battling with words and language every day, and now the words are even more complicated).

Speak Up For DLD Poster

Watch how Siouxsie created the 2024 Speak Up for DLD poster.

You may need to pause the video to read the text on each slide as there is a lot of detail that was too good not to include.

I want EVERYONE to know about DLD:

• Headteachers
• Governor’s
• Teachers
• Lecturers
• Child minders
• Nursery staff
• TA’s
• Dr’s
• All types of Reception staff
• NHS
• Local Authorities
• Parents
• Students
• Kids
• Nurseries
• Schools
• SENDcos
• Colleges
• Universities
• Managers
• Retail staff
• Hospitality staff
• Politicians
• Job Centres
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Educational Psychologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Councellors
• MP’s
• Prisons
• Carers
• Police Officers
• Tourist attractions
• Paramedics
• Police
• Judges……………and on and on……

This is because people like me, with DLD, are so vulnerable and misunderstood and lonely. No wonder a lot of us end up in trouble, depressed, unemployed or in prison.

Even with help,( and I am one of the lucky ones!), life is still really hard because EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY requires COMMUNICATION, LISTENING, UNDERSTANDING & TALKING…. It never ends, and there is no break from it. It is SO overwhelming….and exhausting.

Embroidery is good for me because I can escape from all of this noise and stress for a while. It is slow and you do it quietly. You do not need to talk. You can be expressive with it – by what you choose; fabrics, beads, threads, buttons, trims, ribbons, techniques etc….. There is something very nice about working with your hands and embroidery threads. The way it glides, once it’s through the needle and you pull it through, is very satisfying. I like the way you have to concentrate and focus, but you are in the moment.

If you struggle with DLD or any other SLCN, you should give it a go….. Or anything creative!!!! Dance, photography, pottery, poetry, music, art, etc.

Siouxsie, Webster, artist and a young adult with DLD

The post Creating a Masterpiece with Siouxsie appeared first on RADLD.

Race car driver Marie-Soleil Labelle races to raise awareness of DLD/TDL as RADLD’s first official Spokesperson

Quebec (CA) Race car driver and bilingual French-English speaker, Marie-Soleil Labelle is known affectionately as ‘Sunny’. RADLD is excited to announce that Sunny has joined us as our first official spokesperson. Sunny has Developmental Language Disorder and is eager to help others with DLD/TDL. We asked Sunny a few questions to help the RADLD community get to know our first official spokesperson. Please note the translation of DLD in French is TDL.

1. Sunny, when did you learn you had DLD/TDL?

“My sister finished my sentences and told me what to do; and at school too, my friends would do the same. In 8th grade, I talked about it with my doctor; saw a speech & language therapist and I was diagnosed with DLD/TDL.”

When Sunny first found out she had DLD/TDL she felt overwhelmed by the news.

“First, I started crying when my parents told me but after a few months, I accepted it. And I was able to say, well I have DLD/TDL without complaining or being sad.”

“I thought it was bad and I was different. Now I’m older and it’s not a big deal anymore. It’s just, it’s in me and I’m going to live with it.”

“For example, when I am explaining a story or sharing something with my mom and my sister, and sometimes they don’t really understand what I’m trying to say…when I was little, I would get mad. I didn’t want to talk any more. But now, I’m just laugh and try to explain it a better way.”

2. What was it like for you at school?

“School was ok, but in French it was really hard – in reading & grammar; in math I had trouble understanding the big problems; reading was a disaster, I’m not going to lie: when I had oral presentations, it wasn’t that bad because I practiced with my mom at home. Sometimes I would say words that were unrelated (e.g., instead of shutting down lights, it would be ‘deopen’ the light; I would say ‘the open door’).”

Strategies that helped Sunny at school included reading a book at home with her mom in the week before it would be used in class. If she just read a book for the first time in class, she wouldn’t understand even the basics of what she was reading. At home, her mom would go through the book with Sunny to help her understand. There was no resource to support Sunny at her public school.

Sunny excelled at Martial Arts where she was able to learn the moves through repeated physical demonstration: it wasn’t just verbal instruction. This learning through repetition was a strategy Sunny decided to apply in school too. She would record herself studying and listen to the recording on repeat. She wouldn’t go and play like the other kids, as she realized she had to work harder than her friends to get the grades.

Other things that helped Sunny at school included:

· seeing a speech and language therapist after school (paid) – to practice how to explain something if she forgot a word

· at school Sunny had a computer for writing and reading

· a friend helped Sunny in the evenings at home so she could understand her school work.

3. Can you tell us about your racing car journey? When did you start racing? What do you love most about it?

“I was doing go-karting when I was little at the indoor track, many times in a week. I met the staff and they let me stay and practice…like driving around cones, and doing some tricks. There was a league that asked me if I wanted to be in it.”

In 2018, Sunny started driving on the outside karting track before moving onto competitions.

“My coach was racing in the Nissan Micra Cup and I went, and we met people important to the series. We were in contact with them, and then that got me into the Nissan Micra Cup.”

Sunny quickly realised she could use her school coping strategies at the racetrack too! Repetition was key. To be a successful race car driver she needed quiet in her helmet, no talking, and to do many laps!

Sunny had to learn the rules and regulations, and complete Road Racing courses sanctioned by the Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA), to be allowed to race. At speed, the language is with flags. Sunny wouldn’t have progressed if she hadn’t studied hard and trained even harder. She was a little girl with a big dream in a male dominated sport, and then with DLD on top of that.

This young racing dynamo and RADLD’s first official Spokesperson, now hits speeds of up to 210km/hr in her Nissan race car! Sunny loves accelerating, speed and getting ready for the next big race weekend. She even has a simulator at home to help her practice.

“I’ve learned a lot of cool stuff on it. I’m trying to improve race starts, so you can practice on the simulator.”

4. What do you wish people understood about DLD/TDL?

“It’s not my fault, I’m trying to explain something. They need to be patient because sometimes when I’m talking they won’t necessarily understand. Sometimes my mom and sister and I can make a joke about DLD. It’s not going to stop me.”

5. What’s the hardest part of having DLD/TDL?

“Not being able to express myself…I wish I could just talk without any hesitation. If I’m having an interview in racing, I have difficulty talking, I feel like sometimes it’s hard.”

Sunny shared that instead of doing 7 or 8 takes, she’d like to say things once and be understood.

6. What’s the best parts of having DLD/TDL?

“In racing, now that everyone knows, I feel different and special!” Sunny shared this comment with a huge smile and sitting up proudly.

“Now that we’re in contact, meeting new people, people are nice to me now that I’m meeting about DLD. People treat me differently when they know I have DLD.”

7. What would you say to other young people who are just finding out they have DLD/TDL?

“Be proud of yourself, that’s who you are. It doesn’t matter if you have a difference, maybe it will be harder than for other people. You’re going to have to learn to live with it. It may take time to accept.”

8. What are your goals for the future?

Sunny has plans to become a Mechanical Engineer.

“My ultimate goal is to be Chief Engineer in Formula 1.”

Her other goals include racing as much as she can and to proudly represent RADLD this year. Sunny has a true desire to help others and RADLD could not be prouder to have Sunny as our first official RADLD Spokesperson in 2022.

You can read more about Sunny and follow her racing journey in the following ways:

• Website: https://mariesoleillabelle.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmbassadriceFREMAW
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariesoleillabelleracing/

The post Born to Make a Difference | Marie-Soleil Labelle appeared first on RADLD.

Amelia loves to be busy! She plays the cornet, enjoys dance, drama and pole fitness. She recently joined girls’ football, choir and film club at school. Amelia has Developmental Language Disorder and is proof DLD kids can thrive with the right supports in place.

Developmental Language Disorder or DLD is a lifelong, permanent neurodevelopmental condition affecting 1 in 14 people.

The 2021 DLD Awareness Day campaign is asking teachers to #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD to increase the early identification of DLD and support for students at school.

Thanks to early intervention, Amelia’s DLD was picked up at 6 years of age. She has been well supported since that time and has almost caught up to the expected academic levels for a 9 year old, despite not reaching any of her Early Years Foundation Stage targets at age 5.

Amelia’s mum Claire really wants teachers to know that early identification of DLD is vital. “Just because somebody can talk and appears to be listening doesn’t mean there isn’t an issue – Amelia still has significant gaps in her vocabulary knowledge because she doesn’t just “pick up” words as most children do,” Claire shared.

“Just taking that little bit of time to check she’s really understood and isn’t just repeating back words with no comprehension can make a huge difference. And we know we are lucky – Amelia’s language needs were very obvious, and she has her diagnosis. Not all children with DLD have been diagnosed, and so they may not be getting the support they need.”

One teacher can change a student’s life by spotting their challenges with language. RADLD is asking teachers to keep an eye out, and whenever they see a student struggling with learning, #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD.

Students with DLD can succeed at school when they are identified and have access to the right supports. But first they need our help. Please view and share this year’s DLD Awareness Day animated video to help raise awareness: https://youtu.be/MU1inVSISFo

Thank you Amelia and Claire for sharing your story with us.

Share your story

We’d love to hear about your experiences with DLD. Please email us at hello@radld.org and include photos if possible.

The post Amelia Proves That DLD Kids Can Thrive When Given Access to Support appeared first on RADLD.

The post DLD Hasn’t Stopped Racing Car Driver Marie-Soleil Labelle From Achieving Her Dreams appeared first on RADLD.

Imagine making a new friend, learning a new subject, or negotiating yourself out of a tough spot if your ability to use or understand language were a life-long challenge.

On average 2 students in every class of 30 have a neurodevelopmental condition called Developmental Language Disorder or DLD.

Friday 15 of October 2021 is DLD Awareness Day and this year’s campaign is asking teachers to #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD. The goal is to increase the early identification of DLD and support for students at school.

People with DLD are 6 times more likely to suffer from anxiety and 3 times more likely to have clinical depression. They are also at significant risk of struggling with reading, spelling and mathematics. Although DLD is a common condition affecting many areas of life, children with DLD are unlikely to receive access to services.

Shelbi, young adult with DLD: “It wasn’t just a “delay” for me and I never “outgrew” or “caught up”. Just like many people; my DLD was never identified nor was my difficulties were further investigated. DLD is a life condition; early identification and support is key to supporting those with DLD to manage everyday life.”

Spoken language is the lifeblood of the classroom. It underpins all learning, relationships and mental health, from the very beginning to the very end of school. Most students thrive in this rich learning environment, but for some, listening and talking can be overwhelming.

Jessica, a 12-year-old student with DLD: “I would like my teachers to know that I may lose focus more easily than others and some tasks may take longer. If I’m ever picked on to speak up in class, I have trouble finding words from my head, so I may stutter a lot or just keep quiet.”

Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD) is an international organization working to grow awareness of DLD, a hidden but common condition.

One teacher can change a student’s life by spotting their challenges with language. RADLD is asking teachers to keep an eye out, and whenever they see a student struggling with learning, #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD.

Sam, teacher: “If teachers are repeatedly saying things like ‘they just don’t listen’, then perhaps children need a language assessment. I would like teachers to realise that there is a high probability that somebody in their class has DLD and that these students are working REALLY hard to understand everything.”

Students with DLD can succeed at school when they are identified and access the right support. But first they need our help. Please view and share this year’s DLD Awareness Day animated video to help raise awareness: https://youtu.be/MU1inVSISFo

We have many families who are very eager to share their DLD story. Please get in touch and we can arrange a local face for you.

-ENDS-

For media enquiries:

Stephen Parsons | stephen.parsons66@gmail.com  or 07811 218 484

• WEBSITE: radld.org
• FACEBOOK: facebook.com/radld.page
• TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RADLDcam
• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/RALLIcampaign

ABOUT DLD AWARENESS DAY

Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day, now in its fifth year, is celebrated annually around the world with more than 40 countries involved last year. Support DLD Awareness Day by sharing this year’s #ThinkLanguage #ThinkDLD awareness videos (due for release in early October) and/or hold an event at your workplace or in the community. Visit www.RADLD.org to access our awareness raising resources including downloadable posters and fact sheets.

The post Two children in every class of 30 have DLD appeared first on RADLD.

When my son was very little he couldn’t find in his head the right sounds to go with the things he wanted to communicate.  He spoke pure jazz for a while and when a word might appear one day it would be lost the next.  The first speech therapy groups Elwin went to didn’t work.  The parenting group that told me about how I might be negatively affecting his speech didn’t work.  I read him so many nursery rhymes it was untrue but these things did not help Elwin in the way they help children with language delays rather than language disorders.  Much more intervention was needed.  We had a wonderful speech therapist who helped Elwin to order sounds in his head so that he could find the right sound for the right vocabulary and his articulation of words became much clearer.

Nowadays you might not know Elwin has developmental language disorder.  His speech is pretty clear – unless he’s very tired, very excited or has a whole lot to say (because his brain is still having to work harder to find the sounds). Though he might still get the odd pronoun wrong, his grammar is falling into place – I know for some people with DLD, sentence construction is much much harder.

Unlike many people with DLD, Elwin has huge vocabulary but there’s a huge gulf between the words he understands and being able to find in his head the word that he wants to say.  It’s like when you’re really tired and that word is on the tip of your tongue but for Elwin it’s everyday and all the time.

This affects his ability to express himself both orally and on paper; his ability to demonstrate what he knows and, more significantly, his social interactions.  His social interactions have been more significantly affected as he’s got older because play for older children is more language based.

DLD also affects understanding. You know how it is when you go to a country where you’ve learnt the language but in practice following a conversation is so much more difficult because your brain is doing so much more work and if someone has a lot to say and if what they’re saying involves a whole range of things then you can totally lose track.  This is how it can be for someone with DLD but all the time and in their native tongue.

One thing I’ve learned is how amazing our brains are and all the myriad of things that they have to do in order to form words; form sentences; and communicate ideas and passions.  We are truly amazing.  Without the capacity to do all these things easily, Elwin’s brain has developed many other skills – his inventiveness is incredible.  His ability to read people’s emotions is amazing.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful little boy in my life.

I’d like to make it so that Elwin doesn’t struggle with language – so that school and friendships would be the joy they are to most 10 year old boys but I can’t change these things.  One struggle I can change is the struggle with a lack of awareness.

DLD is as prevelant as autism and yet lots of you won’t even have heard about DLD before you read this.  If you are talking to someone and they are finding it difficult to follow you then it might be they have DLD.  If someone is getting frustrated when they’re struggling to express themselves then it might be they have DLD.   Many teachers are not aware of DLD. That child who appeared to be listening to what you were saying but then doesn’t seem to know what you’ve just asked them to do might have DLD.  Awareness is so lacking that they may never have received a diagnosis – especially if it never really affected language production (as is the case for some children).

We can all help children and adults with DLD by being kind and patient with everyone we meet.

Please also feel free to share this post to spread awareness of developmental language disorder.

The post On DLD Awareness Day appeared first on RADLD.

The post Being a teen with DLD appeared first on RADLD.

Read their great article to help grow DLD Awareness here.

Families Magazines is an A4 glossy magazine and website which are noted for being genuinely useful resources for families in Brisbane, Australia.  They write about family relevant topics including health, well-being, family values, education, and fun in the local community and surrounds.

The post Families Magazine Brisbane Promotes DLD Awareness | Australia appeared first on RADLD.