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• Posted April 18, 2026

Does My Child Have a Language Disorder?

Baby’s first words are a source of pride for parents, but when they’re late in coming, it can be a source of worry.

While most kids catch up, those whose language troubles persist may have a condition called DLD.

Short for developmental language disorder, DLD can affect a child’s speech, as well as listening, reading and writing, and it continues into adulthood, according to speech and language expert Mary Alt.

"DLD is incredibly prevalent, but many people don’t know about it," Alt told NIH News in Health. She’s head of speech, language and hearing sciences at the University of Arizona.

What causes DLD is unknown, but it tends to run in families. Experts are developing ways to identify affected children more quickly so they can get help to overcome their struggles.

Meanwhile, parents should be aware of some warning signs.

"If you have a young child who isn’t using a language to communicate, but is more using body language and gestures, that’s a sign that they’re having difficulty with learning language," said Jim Montgomery, a professor of communication at Ohio University.

By preschool, most kids use full sentences. But those from a child with DLD are often quite simple: "Him run" instead of "Look, the dog is running," for instance.

Kids with DLD may have trouble building vocabulary or putting sentences together. They may be unable to tell stories in an organized way.

These aren’t insignificant problems: "More severe DLD could mean having difficulty getting your basic needs met because you can’t express them," Alt said.

By adulthood, people with DLD are six times more likely to be diagnosed with reading and spelling disabilities. Kids with DLD have four times the risk for a math disability, as well.

In fact, the classroom is often where the problem becomes apparent. Mild cases might go unnoticed until writing and reading work begins to pose significant challenges.

The rub? Schools aren’t equipped to evaluate kids’ spoken language skills until problems arise, according to Suzanne Adlof, a speech-language researcher at the University of South Carolina.

She and her colleagues are developing a screening test to identify kids with language problems and gauge whether interventions are helping.

Alt and her colleagues, meanwhile, are investigating interventions for 2- to 5-year-olds. 

Montgomery’s group is investigating ways to help school-age kids master complex sentence structures.

"Typically, kids learn grammar without trying," he said. "Kids with DLD aren’t always going to pick up on that naturally."

In the meantime, parents don’t have to wait for a child’s school to intervene. Researchers urge those with concerns to bring them to the attention of their doctor or a speech-language pathologist.

Younger kids may have DLD if they struggle to learn new words and make conversation; have trouble following directions because they don’t understand; or make frequent grammatical errors.

Signs of DLD in older kids and adults include limited use of complex sentences; frequent grammar and spelling mistakes; difficulty making conversation or finding the right words; and trouble grasping figurative language.

More information

There’s more about encouraging a toddler’s language development at Zero to Three. 

SOURCE: NIH News in Health, April 2026