Background & Aims: Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) impacts 7% of children and is considered a lifelong condition, yet there is little research in how well DLD is understood in the context of further and higher education settings. Methods: In the present paper, we conducted an audit of UK Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) student support webpages to examine mentions of DLD, interviewed 11 professionals working in HE/FE settings about their knowledge of DLD and how they believed DLD could impact students’ experiences, and interviewed two adults with DLD about their college and university experiences. Results: None of the 403 institutions’ webpages reviewed directly mentioned DLD on their student facing support pages, and less than 0.5% mentioned difficulties that could be considered to describe a young person with DLD. Professionals interviewed were largely unaware of DLD, but felt the typical profile of a student with DLD would likely have implications for their learning and student experience. The adults with DLD reported their language needs had a significant impact on their educational experiences, affecting not only their attainment but also their mental health and wellbeing. Conclusions: Together, our findings highlight that knowledge of DLD is largely absent from UK universities and colleges, despite its significant impact on students’ experiences. Implications: In addition to increasing awareness and understanding of DLD in the HE/FE sectors, more work is urgently needed to improve diagnostic pathways for adults with DLD in order for them to access the support they are entitled to. Future work should also explore the success of Universal Design for Learning approaches for adults with DLD.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)