This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded project has been designed to validate the first screening tool to identify Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in adults.

DLD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder. However, research into it has been underfunded and there is a general lack of public awareness of DLD.

At the moment, there is no short screening tool to identify undiagnosed DLD in adulthood, despite there being tools for other neurodevelopmental disorders. The need for such a tool is high, as the slowly increasing public awareness of DLD is creating demand for more adult-focused DLD assessment and support.

Project background

This project is linked to the internationally recognised and award-winning Engage with Developmental Language Disorder project.

A screening tool emerged from this project, based on feedback from an adult who identified as having DLD, but did not have an official diagnosis. As such, our focus is on creating a tool that will be useful and usable by adults wondering if they might have DLD.

Our focus on adult students for this research is deliberately chosen. We hope this research will facilitate regular screening and identification of DLD in adult students, and ensure they develop a better understanding of their DLD and their own strengths and weaknesses.

This may have a positive influence and empower these individuals to seek reasonable adjustments when they go into the job force, facilitating better job prospects.

Project aims

This project will address four main aims:

• Establish the validity and sensitivity/specificity of the Screening Tool for Adults with Non-Diagnosed DLD (STAND) in adults with and without DLD, as well as establish the discriminate validity compared to adults with Dyslexia and autism.
• Investigate the effectiveness of STAND to identify real cases of undiagnosed DLD in adult students, both at University and FE colleges.
• Explore the educational support needs with adults with DLD and evaluate how these needs can be best met by disability services.
• Create training and guidance toolkits to support:
  • students with DLD, particularly with a new diagnosis
  • disability services at FE institutions.

Project team

• Dr Michelle St Clair, University of Bath
• Professor Mark Brosnan, University of Bath
• Professor Nicola Botting, City St George's, (University of London)
• Professor Suze Leitão, Curtin University
• Dr Emily Jackson, Curtin University

Project partners

• Strode College
• South Gloucestershire and Stroud College
• University of Bath
• Bath Spa University
• City St George's (University of London)