FOI Request - Developmental Language Disorder

Request 101002877311

Please complete the attached Excel spreadsheet title ‘DLD FOI request’ for your local authority. Guidance on completing the spreadsheet is also attached in the Word document title ‘DLD FOI guidance.’
This request relates primarily to educational provision and the LA is the key organisation.

Some of the information requested may not be held centrally but will be known by staff working within the specialist language provisions. A quick phone call to the provision may be needed.

Information about Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
•         DLD is the term agreed by international consensus (Bishop & CATALISE Consortium 2017) to describe people who have ongoing difficulties with understanding and using language (including vocabulary, grammar and social use of language).
•         DLD is a speech; language and communication need (SLCN). It is not autism, as it primarily impacts on vocabulary and sentences rather than social interaction.
•         DLD affects 7.6% of the population (Norbury, 2016) and so is 7 times more common than autism.
•         DLD impacts directly on education significantly as most classroom learning is mediated by language.
•         There has been a change in terminology and criteria, and many children and young people are under-identified.
•         To learn more about DLD go to naplic.org.uk/dld.
Most children and young people with DLD are supported in mainstream schools, often by Speech and Language Therapists and/or specialist teachers. A significant number of children and young people require higher levels of support, but still within mainstream school settings. These ‘units’ have a myriad of names including: ‘language resource provision, speech and language centre, language class and specialist support centre.’ In the questionnaire we have referred to them as ‘specialist language provisions’.

Response 23-09-2021

We do not have a specialist provision for Developmental Language Disorders and can therefore confirm in accordance with section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that the requested information is not held. 

We have individualised child planning meetings where Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychology and clinical professionals  etc are invited to share any assessment(s) and planning for the child. This is a holistic, multi-agency approach to meeting a chid's additional support requirements. Planning strategies and outcomes are devised based on individual needs and are delivered through the ASN resource that goes into schools. In this way, everyone is included and neurodiversity and co-morbidity is addressed on a case by case basis. 

You may wish to contact NHS Grampian for information relating to diagnoses and undiagnosed cases.