Comment: Diagnosing DLD in multilingual children Published on: 20 January 2026 Writing for The Conversation, 缅北禁地 speech and language experts explain why developmental language delay is hard to diagnose in children who speak more than one language. , ; , , and , Six-year-old Antoni, born in the UK to Polish parents, speaks only a few English words in class and often looks confused when the teacher gives instructions. He could simply be adjusting to English 鈥� or the problem could be developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that severely impairs a child鈥檚 ability to learn, use and understand spoken language. are increasingly common for parents and teachers. In England, for example, around 21% of schoolchildren are growing up with . While most children鈥檚 language development 鈥� whether monolingual or multilingual 鈥� is typical, the average classroom includes two DLD-affected children. DLD鈥檚 prevalence, , is similar worldwide, from to . Even so, 鈥� especially compared to other , such as dyslexia, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Identifying DLD in multilingual children can be difficult. Each language a child learns develops at its own pace, depending on factors such as . For example, multilingual children may temporarily their monolingual peers in vocabulary in one language, but this should not be mistaken for DLD. Children with DLD show problems across all their languages and need specialist help. In contrast, those with typically developing language only struggle in the language they need more exposure to, like English at school. Learning two or more languages promotes , and strengths in all children. Contrary to longstanding myths that multilingualism harms language development, learning multiple languages does not cause or exacerbate DLD. Support for DLD should sustain all of a child鈥檚 languages, as these are critical for . The impact of DLD is lifelong and extends . It has consequences for , , , and . Accurate, timely diagnosis and support are essential, not just for individual life chances, but also for society. Adults with DLD are more likely to have difficulty and have a . Addressing DLD These are that a multilingual child may be at risk for DLD, suggesting an approach to a . These if they: are slower to say first words, or put words together, than siblings struggle to understand what others say or follow instructions have trouble expressing thoughts or telling stories rely excessively on gestures (like pointing) to communicate instead of words are slower to learn English in school than peers with similar age, cultural and linguistic backgrounds struggle to interact with children who speak the same languages. Following referral, speech and language therapists gather information from parents, teachers, tests and other sources, aiming to understand the . In linguistically diverse countries, there are still , however. , for example, still lack reliable tools to equally assess English and the children鈥檚 additional languages. With few speech and language therapists having multilingual proficiency, and a shortage of appropriately trained interpreters, DLD can be missed 鈥� or typical multilingual development mislabelled as disordered 鈥� thus delaying or misdirecting support. Progress is being made, with promising new tools like the and the . The former uses two-year-olds鈥� vocabulary in British English and their other language, alongside their exposure to each language, to determine whether their language development may be at risk. Similarly, the Litmus battery includes tools for assessing the language skills of multilingual children from a range of ages and language backgrounds, such as phonological memory and storytelling. More recently, our team is developing a dynamic assessment resource at 缅北禁地 that uses enjoyable activities to detect DLD. It explores multilingual children鈥檚 learning potential 鈥� not just their existing skills 鈥� in language and communication areas affected by the condition, such as telling stories or recognising emotions in people鈥檚 voices. Detecting DLD is the first step. Support from family, schools and speech and language therapists can then transform a multilingual child鈥檚 life outcomes, helping them grow up healthier and happier. , Visiting Researcher in Speech and Language Sciences, ; , Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, , and , Reader in Speech Science, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . 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