DLD Is a Language-Based Learning Disability

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Reading Comprehension, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is often misunderstood in educational settings because it is frequently conceptualized too narrowly as a “speech” or oral-language impairment. This framing is incomplete and clinically problematic. DLD affects the language systems students use to understand instruction, comprehend text, formulate ideas, organize written expression, participate in academic discourse, and access curriculum. In […]

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Beyond the Buzzwords: How SLPs Can Evaluate Clinical Trends, Pseudoscience, and Evidence-Based Claims

Leave a Comment / Evidence-Based Intervention, GLP/NLA, Parents, Pseudoscience/EBP Appraisal, S2C/RPM/FC, SLP Trends, Speech Pathology / /

Abstract: In speech-language pathology, unsupported clinical claims often appear credible because they are attached to emotional testimonials, neuroscience language, parent urgency, professional trainings, or popular social media trends. This article provides a structured way to examine those claims without dismissing families, clinicians, or innovation. It reviews common red flags in pseudoscientific marketing, explains why “evidence-based”

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The ADHD Trap

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, ADHD, Attention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Speech Pathology / /

When attention gets blamed, and language gets missed I need to state this as clearly as possible. We need to stop using ADHD as the explanation for students” school struggles. When a child cannot understand language, explain ideas, or navigate social expectations, that is not attention. That is language. And confusing the two costs kids

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Stop Calling It Articulation: When Speech Errors Are Really Language and Reading Problems

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Articulation vs Phonology, Data Collection, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Parents, Speech Pathology / /

What looks like a simple sound error is often a deeper language weakness that quietly undermines reading and writing. I keep seeing the same referrals over and over. “The student doesn’t say his R.”“She drops sounds.”“His speech is sloppy.” On paper, this gets labeled as articulation. A simple speech issue. A few drills, practice the

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Why Executive Function Coaching Fails So Many Children

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Executive Functions, Parents, Speech Pathology / /

When a child struggles with planning, organization, or self-regulation, the label “executive function” is often applied, and executive function coaching or ADHD coaching is presented as the solution. These services are routinely marketed as evidence-based or grounded in neuroscience, despite limited attention to what is actually impaired. The Problem: Language is the Engine Executive functions

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Pragmatics: The Glue That Holds Language Together

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Social Pragmatic Deficits, Speech Pathology / /

Most parents hear the word pragmatics and think it means manners, politeness, or social skills. That is not what it actually is. Pragmatics is how language is used to think, organize ideas, and understand what matters. Without it, language breaks down, even when a child knows vocabulary, speaks in sentences, or can read words on

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Why Reading the Words Still Isn’t Reading

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Parents, Reading Comprehension, Speech Pathology / /

Many parents of children with language disorders feel relief when their child finally starts sounding out words. Frequently, after years of struggle, effective phonics instruction begins to click. The child can decode. The words come out correctly. On the surface, this looks like reading success. For children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or other language-based

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When AI Meets the ‘Expert’ SLP: The Blind Leading the Bot

Leave a Comment / AI, Evidence-Based Intervention, Speech Pathology / /

Ponderings on Evidence, Expertise, and the Future of Clinical Judgment in Speech Language Pathology Recently, I attended a webinar that discussed the best use of artificial intelligence with speech-language pathologists. It was marketed as a way to improve workload management and caseload efficiency. What I largely witnessed instead was a familiar problem, old habits becoming

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When College Isn’t the Answer: How to Protect Your Teen (and Your Wallet) from a Broken System

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Grade Inflation, Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Parents, Speech Pathology, Young Adults / /

Every year I meet young adults who were diagnosed with language/ learning disorders (or who were never properly identified but clearly struggled their entire school careers). Many of them did what they thought they were supposed to do: they went to college. Their parents, desperate to give them a shot at success, took out loans

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Invisible Disability, Visible Damage: The Systemic Failure to Identify Language Disorders

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, ADHD, Attention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Reading Programs, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests, Wilson, Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell & Barton Comparisons / /

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP) specializing in language and literacy assessment, I’ve reviewed hundreds of educational, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological evaluations for students with complex learning needs. I repeatedly see students who are clearly struggling in the classroom, despite strong support at home, undergoing assessments that fail to identify their needs accurately. As a result, they

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