At school

Language is important for learning. At school, children need to listen to the teacher’s instructions or answer questions. Written language (reading and writing) is important for all school subjects. This is why students with DLD may also have more difficulties with maths and other subjects (such as geography). Foreign language learning also tends to be more difficult. Students with DLD also struggle more often with planning and social contacts at school.

Have a look at this video on possible signs of DLD at school:

Language and learning

Children with DLD do not always fully understand the teacher’s instructions. They may start daydreaming or doing something else. It may seem as if they do not want to listen. But actually, they do not know what they are supposed to be doing. Sometimes, students with DLD find it hard to remember instructions. They have heard the instruction, but it does not stick in their mind. 

DLD and reading

Children with DLD often struggle with reading. To learn how to read, children need to recognise the different speech sounds in a word. Children practice decoding by breaking up words into individual sounds and blending them back together (the Dutch terms are hakken en plakken). 

To learn how to read, children also need to know which sound goes with which letter. For example: you write the letter ‘s’. When you say the letter out loud you hear ‘sss’. This is what we call ‘sounding out’. When children start reading, this process is slow. After a while, reading becomes more automatic. A child will not read ‘letter by letter’ anymore, but recognises the entire word. 

Many children with DLD have difficulties ‘sounding out’ words (decoding). Around half of them have (severe) problems with learning to read and/or spell single words. This means they may have dyslexia in addition to DLD. For more information about DLD and dyslexia, see DLD and other disorders. 

Reading is important for learning new words. In turn, knowing more words makes reading easier. The ultimate goal of reading is to understand text and learn more about the world. 

Reading comprehension

Reading comprehension is understanding the meaning of written words and sentences and the message in a text. This requires both language skills and knowledge of the world. 

Most students with (severe) DLD have difficulties with reading comprehension. This may be due to their language problems or limited knowledge of the world. Sometimes it is also due to their difficulties with single word reading (decoding). This means that it is harder for them to gain information from texts. 

Reading comprehension is needed for most school subjects. Some words are important for all subjects, like the word ‘conclusion’ (academic language). Some words are used in specific subjects, such as ‘add’, ‘take’ or ‘multiply’ in maths (subject-specific language). 

DLD and maths

Language also plays a role in arithmetic and maths. Most students with DLD can do simple calculations well. Simple calculations such as 2 + 7 = 9 do not involve much language. Some children with DLD may struggle with calculations involving larger numbers. Story problems can also be difficult. 

For these types of problems, students need to understand what is written to correctly interpret the math problem. 

Foreign languages

Dutch children start learning English as a foreign language in primary school. In high school, they often learn additional foreign languages such as German or French.  

Foreign languages can be difficult for students with DLD. They may have problems remembering words with different sounds. Or they may know fewer words in their native language. If you do not know a word in your native tongue, it is harder to learn that word in a different language. Reading and spelling in a foreign language can also be harder. 

DLD and Executive Functions at school

Executive Function (EF) skills are often weaker in students with DLD. These are skills to regulate attention and control behaviour. See How the brain works for more on EF skills.
Executive functions are important at school to: 

• Follow the teacher’s instructions. 

• Remember what to do. 

• Stay focused during class. 

• Plan activities such as homework, studying for a test or packing a school bag. 

• Think before acting. For example when there is conflict in the classroom. 

Socialising at school

Language problems often affect children’s social interaction. Talking is important during classes and breaks. Students also often work together on tasks. If a child has DLD it can be more difficult to follow classmates’ conversations. Or to speak up in class. It can also be scary to approach someone. Or to send a message in the group chat. 

Children with DLD often have fewer social contacts. They may feel lonelier than their class mates. You can read more about this at Social-emotional development. There you also find tips for parents on how to help your child with social interaction. 

Is your child being bullied at school or online? It is important to discuss this at school. Schools in the Netherlands must have an anti-bullying policy in place. Schools are obliged to help your child. You can find tips and experiences of children and adolescents in Dutch on Pestweb. StopPestenNu (Stop Bullying Now) offers advice to parents. English language resources can be found at the AntiBullyingAlliance (UK). 

TOSportret Sjuulke, 13 jaar (in Dutch):

Adjustments and assistive technology at school

Adjustments for tests and exams are possible for children with DLD. This may involve more time to take a test or sitting in a quiet room. Some children may also benefit from text-to-speech technology such as Kurzweil or Read&Write. 

For more information, see Education and support. Discuss the possibilities with your school or the itinerant teacherA teacher with expert knowledge about DLD who visits the mainstream school to give support. (the Dutch term is ambulant begeleider or ambulant dienstverlener).  

Information in English

English language resources on DLD are available from websites such as RADLD (UK), DLDandMe (US) and TheDLDProject (Australia). The UK-based charity Afasic provides a parent helpline. Harry’s Story is a picture book to create awareness of DLD.