RCSLT joins collaboration to launch new vision for people with DLD

DLD is a form of neurodiversity in which children do not acquire language as expected. People with DLD may have challenges with understanding what others say to them and with articulating their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences.  

The DLD vision aims to provide a brighter future for people with DLD and was developed through a series of workshops with adults and young people with DLD and their families. Together the group came up with five key ambitions for what they would like to see in the future:  

We [people with DLD] want a world in which… 

• We are diagnosed early 
• All schools and workplaces meet our needs 
• We are independent  
• Everyone knows about DLD 
• We access support easily 

DLD affects approximately 7.5% of the school-aged population and is a persistent, life-long condition that impacts every aspect of a person’s life. Without the proper support in place, people with DLD are at increased risk of negative outcomes.  

The vision for the future, driven by people with and affected by DLD, will guide the collaborative work of our organisations in developing a long-term plan which aims to move towards a society that understands and embraces DLD in health, education, employment, leisure and all aspects of life, leading to a brighter future and improved outcomes for all people with DLD. 

This Friday marks DLD Awareness Day (20 October) and this year’s theme is DLD Around the World, highlighting that DLD occurs in every language. We will be helping to raise awareness of DLD, with activity planned across the UK and on social media, as well as a special DLD focused edition of our podcast out on Friday.  

Tomorrow (17 Oct) our Wales team will be holding an awareness event at the Senedd co-hosted by Parents Voices in Wales, NAPLIC and RADLD and our Northern Ireland (NI) team have planned an event at Stormont, sponsored by Cara Hunter, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of NI. In Scotland, Edinburgh Castle and Carnegie Hall will light up on Friday to mark DLD awareness day. 

Find out more about the DLD vision and how you can get involved and help to make change happen.