A language disorder means difficulties with receptive language (understanding or comprehension of spoken language), expressive language (explaining or communicating and making yourself understood using spoken or oral language)or pragmatics (using language for social interactions). If there is no obvious cause of language disorder it will be called Developmental Language Disorder however if it is due to another condition or disability e.g. hearing loss, autism, brain injury it will just be referred to as a language disorder secondary to ….. (insert disability here).
Difficulties with language are known to co-exist with learning disorders. The presence of a language disorder can place a student at increased risk of difficulties with reading, spelling, writing, mathematics and learning across the curriculum. A language disorder is diagnosed by a Speech Pathologist who is also able to provide intervention for a Specific Learning Disorder.
A learning disorder will be specific to the learning of academic skills like reading, spelling, writing and mathematics. They are known as Specific Learning disorders in reading, writing or mathematics and may also be known as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Specific Learning Disorders in Reading, Writing and mathematics are typically diagnosed by registered Psychologists (typically Clinical Psychologists and Educational Psychologists) according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM 5).
