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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ∙ National Institutes of Health

NIDCD Fact Sheet | Voice, Speech, and Language

Developmental Language Disorder

What is developmental language

disorder (DLD)?
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a communication
disorder that interferes with learning, understanding, and
using language. These language difficulties are not explained
by other conditions, such as hearing loss or autism, or by
extenuating circumstances, such as lack of exposure to
language. DLD can affect a child’s speaking, listening,
reading, and writing. DLD has also been called specific
language impairment, language delay, or developmental
dysphasia. It is one of the most common developmental
disorders, affecting approximately 1 in 14 children in
kindergarten. The impact of DLD persists into adulthood.
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is one of the most
common developmental disorders, affecting approximately
What causes DLD?
1 in 14 children in kindergarten.
DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Neurodevelopmental related neurodevelopmental disorders, such as dyslexia or
disorders are caused by complex interactions between autism, are more common in the family members of a child
genes and the environment that change brain development. with DLD.
The exact causes of the brain differences that lead to DLD
are unknown. Learning more than one language at a time does not cause
DLD. The disorder can, however, affect both multilingual
Neurodevelopmental disorders tend to run in families. children and children who speak only one language. For
Children with DLD are more likely than those without DLD multilingual children, DLD will impact all languages spoken
to have parents and siblings who have also had difficulties by a child. Importantly, learning multiple languages is not
and delays in language development. In fact, 50 to 70 harmful for a child with DLD. A multilingual child with DLD
percent of children with DLD have at least one family will not struggle more than a child with DLD who speaks
member with the disorder. In addition, other potentially only one language.

NIDCD...Improving the lives of people with communication disorders

What are the symptoms of DLD? How is DLD diagnosed?
A child with DLD often has a history of being a late talker If a doctor, teacher, or parent suspects that a child has DLD,
(reaching spoken language milestones later than peers, a speech-language pathologist (a professional trained to
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language). assess and treat people with speech or language
Although some late talkers eventually catch up with peers, problems) can evaluate the child’s language skills. The
children with DLD have persistent language difficulties. type of evaluation depends on the child’s age and the
concerns that led to the evaluation. In general, an
Younger children with DLD may:
evaluation includes:
} Be late to put words together into sentences.
} Direct observation of the child.
} Struggle to learn new words and make conversation.
} Interviews and questionnaires completed by parents
} Have difficulty following directions, not because they are and/or teachers.
stubborn, but because they do not fully understand the
} Assessments of the child’s learning ability.
words spoken to them.
} Standardized tests of current language performance.
} Make frequent grammatical errors when speaking.
These tools allow the speech-language pathologist to
Symptoms common in older children and adults with
compare the child’s language skills to those of same-age
DLD include:
peers, identify specific difficulties, and plan for potential
} Limited use of complex sentences. treatment targets.
} Difficulty finding the right words.
Is DLD the same thing as a
} Difficulty understanding figurative language.
learning disability?
} Reading problems.
DLD is not the same thing as a learning disability. Instead,
} Disorganized storytelling and writing.
DLD is a risk factor for learning disabilities since problems
} Frequent grammatical and spelling errors. with basic language skills affect classroom performance.
This means that children with DLD are more likely to be
Language difficulties may be misinterpreted as a
diagnosed with a learning disability than children who do
behavioral issue. For example, a child who struggles with
not have DLD. They may struggle with translating letters
language may avoid interactions, leading others to think
into sounds for reading. Their writing skills may be
that the child is shy. A child may not follow directions
weakened by grammatical errors, limited vocabulary, and
because they don’t understand the instructions, but
problems with comprehension and organizing thoughts
others may interpret this as misbehavior. A child who
into coherent sentences. Difficulties with language
struggles to communicate may become frustrated and act
comprehension can make mathematical word problems
out. When a child is struggling at home or in school, it is
challenging. Some children with DLD may show signs of
important to determine if language difficulties may be
dyslexia. By the time they reach adulthood, people with
part of the problem.
DLD are six times more likely to be diagnosed with
reading and spelling disabilities and four times more likely
to be diagnosed with math disabilities than those who do
not have DLD.

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Is DLD a lifelong condition? For school-age children, treatment may focus on
understanding instruction in the classroom, including
DLD is a developmental disorder, which means that its helping with issues such as:
symptoms first appear in childhood. This does not mean
} Following directions.
that, as children develop, they grow out of the problem.
Instead, the condition is apparent in early childhood and } Understanding the meaning of the words that
will likely continue, but change, as they get older. teachers use.
} Organizing information.
For instance, a young child with DLD might use
ungrammatical sentences in conversation, while a young } Improving speaking, reading, and writing skills.
adult with DLD might avoid complex sentences in
Adults entering new jobs, vocational programs, or higher
conversations and struggle to produce clear, concise,
education may need help learning technical vocabulary or
well-organized, and grammatically accurate writing.
improving workplace writing skills.
Early treatment during the preschool years can improve the
skills of many children with language delays, including What research does NIDCD support
those with DLD. Children who enter kindergarten with on DLD?
significant language delays are likely to continue having
The National Institute on Deafness and Other
problems, but they and even older children can still benefit
Communication Disorders (NIDCD) supports a wide variety
from treatment. Many adults develop strategies for
of research on the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and
managing DLD symptoms. This can improve their daily
treatment of DLD. For example, NIDCD funds research
social, family, and work lives.
that seeks to understand how brain and learning patterns
What treatments are available differ for children with DLD compared to children with
typical language development. Other research focuses on
for DLD?
understanding why socioeconomic disparities increase the
Treatment services for DLD are typically provided or risk of DLD in children from low-income families. NIDCD-
overseen by a licensed speech-language pathologist. supported scientists are also determining how to
Treatment may be provided in homes, schools, university accurately diagnose DLD, especially in culturally diverse
programs for speech-language pathology, private clinics, children who speak a variety of dialects or languages. The
or outpatient hospital settings. institute also funds research to ascertain, at a highly
practical and specific level, the best ways to teach
Identifying and treating children with DLD early in life is language to children with DLD, including how many times
ideal, but people can benefit from treatment regardless of a language structure (e.g., using proper tense) should be
when it begins. Treatment depends on the age and needs practiced, how instructional sessions should be organized,
of the person. Starting treatment early can help young and how often teaching should occur. NIDCD-supported
children to: programs are also researching how to coach parents or
} Acquire missing elements of grammar. peers of children with DLD to support language growth at
home or school.
} Expand their understanding and use of words.
} Develop social communication skills.

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Where can I find more information For more information, contact us at:
on DLD? NIDCD Information Clearinghouse
1 Communication Avenue
The NIDCD maintains an online directory of organizations Bethesda, MD 20892-3456
providing information on the normal and disordered Toll-free voice: (800) 241-1044
processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, Toll-free TTY: (800) 241-1055
speech, and language. Visit the NIDCD website at Email: [email protected]
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov to search the directory. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov

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More NIDCD fact sheets on Voice,

Speech, and Language:
} Speech and Language Developmental Milestones
} Your Baby’s Hearing and Communicative Development The NIDCD supports and conducts research and
Checklist research training on the normal and disordered
processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice,
Visit the NIDCD website at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov to speech, and language and provides health information,
read, print, or download fact sheets. based upon scientific discovery, to the public.

Developmental Language Disorder

NIH Publication No. 22-DC-8194
October 2022

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®