Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) public and (b) clinical awareness of development language disorder.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where everyone, including those with developmental language disorder, is supported to thrive.

Access to support should not be dependent on a child or young person having a diagnosis, and a diagnosis alone does not help a teacher know what strategies to use to support that child in the classroom. To ensure teachers can support children before needs escalate, the Department for Education will develop National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies, and approaches for educators across the zero to 25 system to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.

The Government is currently consulting on our proposals to reform the special educational needs and disabilities system. We will create a new offer for children who need additional support, called Targeted and Targeted Plus layers. Children in early years settings, mainstream schools, and colleges can benefit from education and health professionals without long waits for assessments. For children and young people with complex needs, we are developing new Specialist Provision Packages, designed with experts and tested with parents to set out exactly what support and resources are required for specific needs.

Speech and language therapists (SLTs) assess and diagnose developmental language disorders and develop therapy plans that actively involve parents and carers. NHS SLT services routinely deliver workshops, webinars, and advice sessions for families focusing on practical strategies to support communication at home. Many services provide freely accessible resources, including advice sheets and toolkits published by local National Health Service providers.