Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

From Overlooked to Empowered: Supporting Young Adults with Hidden Challenges

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Executive Functions, Life Outcomes, Parents, Speech Pathology, Young Adults / /

When we think about speech-language therapy, we often picture young children learning to pronounce their sounds correctly, build vocabulary, or put sentences together for the first time. But what about the young adults who made it through school undiagnosed, unassisted, and now in their 20s who are quietly struggling to hold jobs, navigate relationships, or […]

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Contextualized Therapy Isn’t Chaos—It’s Data Gold

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Contextualized Language Intervention, Data Collection, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Speech Pathology / /

One of the most common pushbacks I hear from SLPs related to data collection—is that contextualized language therapy makes it too hard to collect data. When I suggest working on narrative or discourse to simultaneously address goals like syntax, vocabulary, and inferencing, the response is often, ‘But how do you collect data on that? We

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Stop Saying “You’re Fine”: Why Struggling Students Deserve the Truth and Real Help

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Parents, Self-Advocacy, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

In the field of speech language pathology and allied services, we carry the immense responsibility of identifying and supporting children who struggle with language and literacy. Yet all too often, our good intentions are undercut by poor testing practices, superficial conclusions, and a harmful tendency to reassure students by telling them “there’s nothing wrong with

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“We Never Did This”: Understanding Memory Challenges in Children with DLD

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Memory, Speech Pathology / /

For children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), the phrase “We never did this” is an all-too-common statement. Teachers and therapists hear it often even when a concept has been explicitly taught numerous times, leading to frustration for both the child and the adult. But this reaction is not a lie, defiance, or a sign of

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Breaking Barriers: How Students with DLD Are Thriving and Achieving Their Dreams

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Life Outcomes, Parents, Speech Pathology / /

For many parents of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), the future can feel uncertain. Will their child get into college? Will they have a good job? Will they be able to pursue their dreams? Can they ever truly thrive in a world that demands strong language and literacy skills? The answer is a resounding

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Hard Truths, Stronger Futures: Why Facing Reality Helps Your Child Succeed

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Parents, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

For many parents, hearing that their child is more impaired than they previously believed can be devastating. This is especially true when the children have been attending specialized private schools that failed to adequately identify and address their language and literacy deficits. The revelation often comes after an outside comprehensive language and literacy testing—an experience

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Beyond the Breakthrough: Why Language and Literacy Therapy Must Continue After Initial Success

Leave a Comment / Academic Success, Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Life Outcomes, Speech Pathology / /

Early progress in therapy can be misleading, as skills need reinforcement to prevent regression and keep up with academic demands. Research shows that discontinuing support too soon can lead to future struggles (Catts et al., 2012; Justice et al., 2009). Sustained intervention ensures long-term success, helping students retain and apply their skills as academic challenges increase (Stanovich, 1986). Therapy isn’t just a fix—it’s an investment in a child’s future.

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Why Accuracy Matters: The Hidden Risks of Flawed Language and Literacy Tests

Leave a Comment / Clinical Assessment, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

When it comes to diagnosing students with developmental language disorders (DLD) and literacy deficits, the choice of assessment tools is critical. Many commonly used language tests have serious psychometric flaws that undermine their validity, leading to misidentifications that can have lasting educational and social consequences. This post examines the psychometric properties of several widely used

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School SLPs vs. Private SLPs: Do They Really Target Different Oral Language Goals?

Leave a Comment / Contextualized Language Intervention, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Evidence-Based Intervention, Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology / /

Recently I was in an IEP meeting for an elementary-aged student. During the meeting, I raised concerns regarding several non-evidenced-based oral language goals for the student and suggested modifying them to meet the student’s extensive academic needs better. To my surprise several IEP team members pushed back, emphasizing the supposed differences between school and private

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Limitations of the CELF-5 in Detecting Subtle Language and Literacy Needs

Leave a Comment / Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Discriminant Accuracy, Dyslexia and Reading Disorders, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs), Learning Disabilities, Special Education Disputes, Speech Pathology, Standardized Tests / /

The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition (CELF-5) is one of the most widely used tools for assessing language abilities in children. However, despite its popularity, significant limitations exist in its ability to accurately diagnose Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and identify subtle language and literacy needs. These limitations are particularly evident in its construct

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