VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM
Supporting young people with language disorders
Language Disorder (DLD). Established in 1947, we have grown
significantly in recent years and now cater for over 180 day and residential students aged 7 to 19, with students coming to us from across the country funded by their Local Authorities. Consistently rated Outstanding by Ofsted, we
provide a mainstream curriculum which is differentiated for language. Our approach aims to ensure that our students achieve their learning potential, maximise their communication skills and become happy, confident, independent and valued members of society.
I
n our ever-popular View from the classroom feature this month, we are
delighted to speak to Sue Marr, a Specialist Teacher (SLCN) at Moor House School & College for many years and now a Trainer with the Moor House Research & Training Institute, who shares her expertise on how to support children and young people with language disorders.
Tell us about your school Moor House is a non-maintained special school for children and young people with speech and language disorders, especially Developmental
You specialise in supporting students with Developmental Language Disorder; can you explain what this is? Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a condition in which children or adults have difficulties understanding or using language which impacts on their literacy, learning, friendships and/or emotional well-being. DLD affects just over 7% of the population,
which equates to 2 children in every class of 30. Without support, DLD can be very isolating from a social perspective, making conversations and activities harder and increasing the risk of lower academic achievement or social isolation.
What are the key difficulties your students experience? Typically, those with DLD struggle with learning new words or concepts, finding the words they
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want to use, or understanding instructions or questions. They usually have difficulties with grammar,
finding it hard to put words together accurately in sentences and particularly struggling to use and understand longer or more complex sentences. They can also struggle with using language in social situations, not understanding the “unwritten rules” of conversation or non-literal language such as idioms.
How do you differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of your students? Our Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) work closely with teachers to understand and support each student’s difficulties and strengths. Teachers plan and deliver lessons collaboratively with SLTs, Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Special Teaching Assistants (STAs) as part of a multi- disciplinary approach to support each student’s development. Students are taught in small classes by teachers
with training and experience of working with children with DLD. Differentiated language and specialist approaches are used so that children can understand and develop the language they need for learning.
Your SLTs are clearly one part of the success of Moor House - can you tell us more about how they integrate within the classroom? Each class of students is allocated an SLT who delivers a mix of direct individual and paired
March 2021
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