Are you looking for practical help for a high schooler with Developmental Language Disorder? Check out our toolbox!

Big picture:

High schoolers with DLD have significant difficulties learning, understanding and using language. But DLD awareness is low in high schools, and existing supports are inadequate.

Why it matters:

Because of language challenges, many high schoolers with DLD encounter:

  • academic difficulties with:
    • focus, attention and organisation;
    • learning and studying; and
    • assignments, exams, and oral presentations;
  • fatigue;
  • social challenges with teachers, other students, and friends;
  • emotional and mental health challenges; and
  • stress about what comes after school.

What helps:

High schoolers with DLD benefit from:

  • good sleep routines and healthy lifestyles;
  • quiet classrooms;
  • direct, explicit teaching of:
    • academic vocabulary used across the curriculum (e.g. exam verbs); 
    • world knowledge;
    • language and reading comprehension strategies;
    • reading skills (including word recognition and fluency); 
    • writing skills (sentences, paragraphs, texts); and
    • higher level oral language skills (e.g. metaphors, analogies, and idioms).
  • teachers and other educators:
    • giving short and clear instructions;
    • not speaking too quickly;
    • regularly checking student understanding; 
    • explicitly teaching subject-specific vocabulary; and
    • using visual and other nonverbal supports;
  • encouragement to participate in social activities and to explore interests; and
  • good communication between students, parents, educators and SLPs about goals, strengths, barriers, and priorities.

Read more:

Wallmann, J., Sahlén, B., & Samuelsson, C. (2024). Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in school – the experiences of different stakeholdersActa Logopaedica1, 92–109. https://doi.org/10.58986/al.2024.18598

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                    Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

                    Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

                    Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

                    David Kinnane
                    Speech-Language Pathologist. Lawyer. Father. Reader. Writer. Speaker.

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