Halle, October 2023. The International Day of Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) is an important event that draws attention to the participation difficulties experienced by children and adolescents with DLD as well as their needs. The MehrSelbst team and members of the “Pedagogy, Prevention and Intervention in Language and Communication Disorders” working area also attended.
DLD is an impairment of language development that is not caused by a hearing impairment, a mental disability or by social environmental factors. DLD affects 1 in 14 children and adolescents; sufferers have difficulties expressing themselves verbally and understanding what others are saying. This can lead to problems at the daycare centre or at school, in the social environment and in later working life. The organisations RADLD and GISKID have been hosting the International DLD Day for several years with the aim of addressing this issue.
This year, raising awareness of DLD and improving support for those affected is once again the goal of the “Pedagogy, Prevention and Intervention in Communication and Language Disorders” working group at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The challenges of DLD should not only be faced by those affected by the disorder: The aim is also to design an inclusive environment that is supported through the cooperation between a variety of stakeholders and professions. To contribute to this, four information events were offered by the working group for different target groups, which provided opportunities for constructive and informal exchange.
- 19 October: Lecture and discussion at the Language Regulars’ Table of the Francke Foundations: This event was aimed at multilingual adults who want to learn German and who themselves have contact with multilingual children and adolescents with DLD. The lecture was given in simple language and was followed by an exchange of experiences and a discussion.
- 20 October: Sticker campaign for teacher training students: The working group communicated the relevance of DLD for their future profession to teacher training students. The young people were interested and asked many questions, since not much attention is currently given to this topic in their degree courses. Stickers were handed out to passers-by on the university grounds, and the brave among them tried their hand at the DLD quiz.
- 21 October: Campaign Table at the Family Farm Day in cooperation with the Francke Foundations: The Farm Day on the Stichelsdorf estate, organised by the Fracke Foundations, hosted an attractive programme for families. The DLD working group attended with an information stand where they talked to families and raised awareness among parents and children for DLD, language promotion and therapy.
- 1 November: Information event for staff of the daycare centres of Kindertagesstätte Halle and the Francke Foundations and for staff of the after-school club of the Francke Foundations: Providing support for children with DLD is a focus from an early age in after-school clubs and daycare centres. The information event, which was attended by employees from Halle, focused on the practical implementation of (language) support measures in educational work.
Successful transfer of knowledge and everyday life
The DLD Awareness Day was a success: Everyone in attendance showed great interest and understanding for the challenges faced by children and adolescents with developmental language disorders. Scientific findings found their way into the everyday lives of the people directly affected by them. And they in turn provided the research team with inspiration through open and appreciative conversations.
We thank all participants for their commitment and the friendly exchange, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue. The next DLD Day will take place on 18 October 2024 – together for an inclusive society. 🗣️🌍
For more information, visit:
https://radld.org/dld-awareness-day/ (English)
https://giskid.eu/tag-der-ses/ (German)
