Speak Out December 2017

Free DLD resources

DLD – Q&A When should members start using the new terminology? SPA members are encouraged to start using the new terminology straightaway. What can SPA members do to support the new terminology and what can they do to educate colleagues, other professionals and clients/families about DLD? By consistently using the new terminology (for example in written reports, when discussing assessment results with families and other professionals), members will not only help raise awareness of DLD but ultimately help avoid some of the confusion that exists among the public and other stakeholders. Members may also want to refer their colleagues to some online materials including the Wikipedia page or the RALLI campaign materials (see full links to follow). What is the difference between language disorder and developmental language disorder? The term Developmental Language Disorder refers to cases of language disorder with no known differentiating condition. How firm is the recommendation for the use of the term language disorder associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? For consistency, we encourage members to use this term to clearly differentiate it from a Developmental Language Disorder. This term is consistent with DSM-5 and is the term that is referred to as a co- occurring condition in the soon to be released National Guideline: The diagnostic process for children, adolescents and adults referred for ASD in Australia. Is the term DLD to be used with children of all ages? Yes, the term can be used with children of all ages. The term “Developmental” indicates the language disorder is not “acquired”. Regarding diagnosis, useful flowcharts illustrating pathways to diagnosis are provided in the two Catalise papers (Bishop et al. 2016; 2017). Can you describe typical features of a child with DLD? The first Catalise paper (Bishop et al., 2016) provides consensus statements regarding “red flags” for children at different stages of development. For example, for children between 1 and 2 years of age, features of atypical development include no babbling, not responding to speech, language, or communication, or minimal or no attempts to communicate (p.9). Where can speech pathologists go to find out more information about DLD and who can they contact if they have any further questions? The resources to follow may provide members with enough information to understand how DLD compares to previously used terms such as SLI. For additional information, feel free to call National Office.

For more information, access the following resources for free: Bishop, D. V. M., Snowling, M. J., Thompson, P. A., Greenhalgh, T., & the Catalise consortium. (2016). CATALISE: A Multinational and Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus Study. Identifying Language Impairments in Children. PLoS ONE , 11(7), e0158753. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158753 Access: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/ article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0158753 (2017). Phase 2 of CATALISE: a multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: Terminology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatr y (Early online). doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12721 Access: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/jcpp.12721/abstract Bishop, D. V. M. (2017). Why is it so hard to reach agreement on terminology? The case of developmental language disorder (DLD). International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders (Early online), 0-11. doi: 10.1111/1460- 6984.12335 Bishop, D. V. M., Snowling, M. J., Thompson, P. A., Greenhalgh, T., & and the Catalise consortium. Bishop, D. V. M. (2010). Which neurodevelopmental disorders get researched and why? PLOS ONE , 5 (11), e15112. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015112 Access: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/ article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015112 Wikipedia page – initially created by Dorothy Bishop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_ language_disorder Online resources – Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder - campaign https://www.youtube.com/user/RALLIcampaign Reilly, S., Tomblin, B., Law, J., McKean, C., Mensah, F. K., Morgan, A., ...Wake, M. (2014). Specific language impairment: a convenient label for whom? International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders , 49(4), 416-451. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12102 Access: http://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/ production/205977/E76F6D09-5541-4EB2- B922-7C53903BE958.pdf Access: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/1460-6984.12335/epdf

Dr. Marleen Westerveld Senior Lecturer in Speech Pathology, Griffith University m.westerveld@griffith.edu.au Nichola Harris

Acting Senior Advisor, Professional Practice nharris@speechpathologyaustalia.org.au

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December 2017 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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